Paul Morton (politician)
Paul Morton | |
|---|---|
| 36th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
| In office July 1, 1904 – June 30, 1905 | |
| President | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | William Moody |
| Succeeded by | Charles Bonaparte |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 22, 1857 |
| Died | January 19, 1911 (aged 53) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Charlotte Goodrich
(m. 1880; died 1911) |
| Children | Caroline Williams Pauline Davis |
| Parent |
|
| Signature | |
Paul Morton (May 22, 1857 – January 19, 1911) was a U.S. businessman, and served as the 36th Secretary of the Navy under Theodore Roosevelt.
Early life
Morton was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 22, 1857 and grew up in Nebraska City, Nebraska. A son of J. Sterling Morton, former Acting Governor of Nebraska, founder of Arbor Day, and Secretary of Agriculture under President Grover Cleveland. Among his siblings were Mark Morton,[1] and Joy Morton, founder of Morton Salt.[2]
Career
Though his father was a "Bourbon" (i.e. conservative) Democrat, Paul Morton was a Progressive Republican. This shift of party by father/son cabinet secretaries is paralleled by that of Henry Cantwell Wallace, who served as a Progressive Republican Secretary of Agriculture under Harding and Coolidge, and his son Henry A. Wallace who served in the same office as a Democrat under Franklin D. Roosevelt.[3]
He served as the U.S. Secretary of the Navy between 1904 and 1905. Previous to this, he had been vice president of the Santa Fe Railroad. When it came to light that the Santa Fe had given illegal rebates under Morton, he was forced out of the cabinet to avoid scandal, though Roosevelt maintained that Morton himself was unaware of the improprieties.[4] After leaving government service, Morton was President of Equitable Life Assurance Society.[5]
George Burroughs Torrey painted a portrait of him.
Personal life
In 1880, Morton was married to Charlotte "Lottie" Goodrich (1858–1938), a daughter of Charles Lowell Goodridge and Charlotte Helen Amelia (née Wheeler) Goodridge. Together, they were the parents of:
- Caroline Morton (1882–1952), who married industrialist and banker William Chapman Potter in 1902. They divorced in October 1922,[6] and she married Harry F. Guggenheim in 1923.[7] They divorced in July 1939, and she married John H. A. Williams.[8]
- Pauline Joy Morton (1887–1955),[9] who became an influential figure in the Republican party, and played an important role in the Repeal of Prohibition in the United States; she married James H. Smith Jr. in 1907. They divorced in 1914, and she married Charles H. Sabin in 1916.[10] After his death in 1933, she married Dwight F. Davis in 1936,[11] and remained married until his death in 1945.[12]
Morton died in New York City on January 19, 1911.[13] His widow died at her residence, One Sutton Place South in New York City, in 1938.[14]
References
- ^ "MARK MORTON, 92, LED SALT CONCERN; Co-Founder of Midwestern Company in 1902 Is Dead-- Son of Nebraska Pioneers". The New York Times. June 26, 1951. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
- ^ The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. XIV. James T. White & Company. 1910. pp. 24–25. Retrieved December 13, 2020 – via Google Books.
- ^ Dictionary of American Biography, Under the Auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies, C. Scribner's Sons, New York City, 1928.
- ^ "Paul Morton Confesses to Giving of Rebates". Lincoln Journal Star. Chicago. January 3, 1905. p. 2. Retrieved December 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Paul Morton, Financier". The Kansas City Star. New York. June 10, 1905. p. 7. Retrieved December 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "MRS. W.C. POTTER ASKS PARIS DIVORCE; Wife of Guaranty Trust Company President Begins Proceedings There". The New York Times. October 12, 1922. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
- ^ "MRS. POTTER WEDS H. F. GUGGENHEIM; Daughter of Late Paul Morton Married to Son of Head of Mining Interests". The New York Times. February 4, 1923. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
- ^ "Harry Guggenheim Weds Mrs. Brooks; Ex-Envoy to Cuba Marries the Daughter of Joseph Medill Patterson in Florida". The New York Times. July 2, 1939. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
- ^ "MRS. DAVIS DEAD; G.O.P. EX-AIDE,68; Widow of Secretary of War Under Coolidge Quit Party Over Prohibition issue". The New York Times. December 29, 1955. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ^ "CHAS. H. SABIN WEDS MRS. PAULINE SMITH; Marriage of Banker and Paul Morton's Daughter Takes Place in Bedminster, N.J. BOTH HAVE BEEN DIVORCED Head of Guaranty Trust Company and His Bride, with 40 Guests, Make Trip In Special Train". The New York Times. December 29, 1916. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ New York Times: "Mrs. Charles H. Sabln Will Be Wed in May To Dwight Davis, Former Secretary of War," April 8, 1936, accessed May 29, 2011
- ^ New York Times: "Dwight Davis Dies," November 29, 1945, accessed May 29, 2011
- ^ "Paul Morton Dies Suddenly in Hotel Room". The New York Times. January 20, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved December 13, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "MRS. PAUL MORTON; Widow of Theodore Roosevelt's Secretary of the Navy". The New York Times. December 29, 1938. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
External links
- Media related to Paul Morton at Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Morton at Find a Grave