Levi Morton

Levi Parsons Morton was a businessman, banker, diplomat, congressman, governor of New York, and the twenty-second vice president. He built his fortune through the banking business in New York and became an important Republican political figure. His long public career eventually carried him from the House of Representatives and diplomatic service to the vice presidency under Benjamin Harrison and later the governorship of New York.

Morton was born on May 16, 1824, in Shoreham, Vermont, to Daniel Oliver Morton, a Congregationalist minister, and Lucretia Parsons. He grew up in Vermont and Massachusetts and received a common-school education. Rather than attending college, he entered the business world, eventually becoming a successful merchant and later moving into banking.

Morton moved to New York City and established the banking firm Morton, Bliss & Co. He became increasingly involved in Republican politics and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1878. He served two terms and became a prominent Republican fundraiser and political organizer. In 1880, President James Garfield offered Morton the position of secretary of the navy, but Morton instead declined and was appointed minister to France in 1881.

Morton served as U.S. minister to France from 1881 to 1885, where he represented the United States during the construction and presentation of the Statue of Liberty. He returned to New York and became a major figure in Republican politics. In 1888, Benjamin Harrison selected Morton as his vice-presidential running mate. Harrison and Morton defeated the Democratic ticket of Grover Cleveland and Allen G. Thurman, although Cleveland won the popular vote.

As vice president, Morton presided over the Senate from 1889 to 1893. One significant issue during his tenure was the proposed Federal Elections Bill, sometimes called the Lodge Bill, which sought to strengthen federal oversight of congressional elections. Morton supported the measure, but it ultimately failed in the Senate. Harrison and Morton lost their 1892 reelection campaign to Grover Cleveland and Adlai Stevenson.

After leaving the vice presidency, Morton remained active in Republican politics and was elected governor of New York in 1894. He served from 1895 to 1896 and then retired from elected office. He remained a prominent businessman and civic figure for the rest of his life. Morton died on his ninety-sixth birthday, May 16, 1920, in Rhinebeck, New York.

Morton's legacy encompasses business, diplomacy, Republican politics, and public administration. His diplomatic career placed him directly alongside the American effort surrounding the Statue of Liberty, while his later service as governor made him one of New York's most prominent Republican leaders. His unusually long life—nearly ninety-six years—allowed him to witness enormous changes in American political and economic life.