Born Charles D. Morse in Massachusetts, he was educated in New Haven and New York City. In 1835, he joined Edwin Morehouse Volunteers to aid Texas. His enlisted name was incorrectly written in the recruitment ledger as Charles DeMorse. It would remain his name for the rest of his life. First given a commission in the Texas Navy at nineteen and then serving in the Texas Army during the Texas Revolution with Mexico.
He was the Stock Commissioner under President Mirabeau Lamar and reporter for the Texas House of Representatives. He latter founded the Clarksville Northern Standard in 1842. DeMorse helped frame the constitution of the State of Texas in 1876. Known as the Father of Texas Journalism, DeMorse died on October 25, 1887.