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{{Short description|American politician (1914–1979)}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Rogers Morton
| image = RogersClarkBallardMorton.jpg
| office = [[Counselor to the President]]
| president = [[Gerald Ford]]
| term_start = February 2, 1976
| term_end = April 1, 1976
| predecessor = [[Robert T. Hartmann]]<br />[[John Otho Marsh Jr.|John Marsh]]
| successor = [[Robert T. Hartmann]]<br />[[John Otho Marsh Jr.|John Marsh]]
| office1 = 22nd [[United States Secretary of Commerce]]
| president1 = [[Gerald Ford]]
| term_start1 = May 1, 1975
| term_end1 = February 2, 1976
| predecessor1 = [[Frederick B. Dent]]
| successor1 = [[Elliot Richardson]]
| office2 = 39th [[United States Secretary of the Interior]]
| president2 = [[Richard Nixon]]<br />[[Gerald Ford]]
| term_start2 = January 29, 1971
| term_end2 = April 30, 1975
| predecessor2 = [[Wally Hickel]]
| successor2 = [[Stanley K. Hathaway]]
| office4 = Chair of the [[Republican National Committee]]
| term_start4 = April 14, 1969
| term_end4 = January 15, 1971
| predecessor4 = [[Ray C. Bliss]]
| successor4 = [[Bob Dole]]
| state5 = [[Maryland]]
| district5 = {{ushr|MD|1|1st}}
| term_start5 = January 3, 1963
| term_end5 = January 29, 1971
| predecessor5 = [[Thomas Francis Johnson|Thomas Johnson]]
| successor5 = [[William Oswald Mills|Bill Mills]]
| birth_name = Rogers Clark Ballard Morton
| birth_date = {{birth date|1914|9|19}}
| birth_place = [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]], [[Kentucky]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1979|4|19|1914|9|19}}
| death_place = [[Easton, Maryland|Easton]], [[Maryland]], U.S.
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| spouse = Anne Jones (m. 1939)
| children = 2
| relatives = [[Thruston Ballard Morton]] (brother)
| education = [[Yale University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br />[[Columbia University]]
| allegiance = United States
| branch = [[United States Navy]]<br />[[United States Army]]
| battles = [[World War II]]
}}
'''Rogers Clark Ballard Morton''' (September 19, 1914 &ndash; April 19, 1979) was an American politician who served as the [[United States Secretary of the Interior|U.S. Secretary of the Interior]] and [[United States Secretary of Commerce|Secretary of Commerce]] during the administrations of presidents [[Richard Nixon]] and [[Gerald Ford]], respectively.  He also served as a member of the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] from [[Maryland]].

Morton was born in [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]], [[Kentucky]], and moved to a farm on the [[Eastern Shore of Maryland]] in the early 1950s.  In 1962, he was elected to the House of Representatives, in which capacity he established a pro-environment record.{{cn|date=July 2022}} Morton would joke that his two middle initials stood for "Chesapeake Bay".{{when?|date=July 2022}} In 1968, Morton played a major role in [[Richard Nixon]]'s campaign for president, and was chosen by Nixon in 1969 to serve as chairman of the [[Republican National Committee]].

In the [[United States Senate elections, 1970|elections of 1970]], Morton was considered a strong candidate to challenge [[Joseph Tydings]] for his [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] seat from Maryland, but he chose instead to remain as chairman of the RNC.  In 1971, President Nixon tapped Morton to serve as [[United States Secretary of the Interior|Secretary of the Interior]], during which time he oversaw the construction of the [[Trans-Alaska Pipeline System]] and the [[1973 oil crisis]].  Morton was the only person from the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] to serve as head of the Interior Department in the 20th century.{{cn|date=July 2022}}

Following Nixon's resignation due to the [[Watergate Scandal]], Morton continued in his post in the [[Gerald Ford]] administration until 1975, when he was nominated to serve as [[United States Secretary of Commerce|Secretary of Commerce]].  From April to August 1976, Morton served as Ford's [[campaign manager]] in his bid for election.  Morton retired from politics following Ford's election defeat.  Three years later, he died of cancer at his home in [[Easton, Maryland|Easton]] on the eastern shore of Maryland.

==Early life and career==
Morton was born in Louisville, the son of David Clark Morton, a [[physician]], and his wife, Mary Harris Ballard Morton, an [[beneficiary|heiress]] to a flour milling business.  He was related to [[George Rogers Clark]], a military officer who served during the [[American Revolutionary War]].  Morton was one of three children; his brother [[Thruston Ballard Morton|Thruston B. Morton]] also had a career in politics, serving as chairman of the [[Republican National Committee]] and representing Kentucky in both the [[United States House of Representatives]] and then the [[United States Senate]].<ref name="Smith-20Apri1979"/>

Morton received his early education from the [[Woodberry Forest School]] near [[Orange, Virginia]], and in 1937 graduated from [[Yale University]], where he was a brother of the [[Delta Kappa Epsilon]] fraternity (Phi chapter). Like his father, Morton worked to become a [[physician]] and entered the [[Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons]].  However, he dropped out after only one year.<ref name="Smith-20Apri1979">{{cite news | first = J. Y. | last = Smith | title = Rogers C. B. Morton Dies, Politician, Farmer, Outdoorsman | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | page = A1 | date = April 20, 1979}}</ref>  In 1939, Morton married the former Anne Jones. They had two children, David Clark and Anne Morton.

In 1938, Morton was commissioned in the [[United States Navy]] but only served for a short time due to problems with his back.  Afterwards, he entered his family's [[flour]] business, Ballard & Ballard.<ref name="Smith-20Apri1979"/> In 1941, at the outset of [[World War II]], Morton enlisted in the Armored Field Artillery of the [[United States Army]] as a [[private (rank)|private]] and served in the [[European Theater]].  He received a commission during the war and left the army as a [[Captain (United States)|captain]] in 1945.<ref name="CongBio">{{cite web |url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M001021 |title=Morton, Rogers Clark Ballard |access-date=2008-07-06 |publisher=United States Congress }}</ref>

After the war, Morton returned to the family business, where he served as president from 1947 to 1951.  In 1952, the business was merged into the [[Pillsbury Company|Pillsbury Flour Company]], where Morton went on to serve as a director and a member of the executive committee for several more years.<ref name="Smith-20Apri1979"/>

==Congressional career==
In 1947, Morton spent a great deal of time helping his brother Thruston in his ultimately successful campaign for election to the House of Representatives in [[Kentucky]].<ref name="Smith-20Apri1979"/> After this initial exposure to politics, Morton moved to the [[Eastern Shore of Maryland]] in the early 1950s, where he set up a {{convert|1400|acre|km2}} [[cattle]] farm along the [[Wye River (Maryland)|Wye River]] in [[Talbot County, Maryland|Talbot County]].<ref name="Smith-20Apri1979"/> In 1962, Morton decided to challenge Democratic incumbent [[Thomas Francis Johnson]] of {{ushr|Maryland|1}}.  Johnson, who was reeling from a political scandal, lost to Morton in the general election.  Morton was lauded for not making Johnson's legal troubles his primary campaign issue.<ref name="Phillips-20Oct1962">{{cite news | first = Cabell | last = Phillips | title = Indicted Nominee Is Continuing Maryland Drive for House Seat | newspaper = [[The New York Times]] | page = 8 | date = October 20, 1962}}</ref>

Morton was reelected to Congress four more times, and served from 1963 until 1971.  In Congress, Morton worked to enact legislation that would preserve the [[Chesapeake Bay]], including laws reducing pollution into the bay, working for the creation of a [[national park]] on [[Assateague Island]], and providing funds to the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]] to model how the Bay functions as an [[estuary]].  Concerning [[civil rights]], Morton voted for the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]] and the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/88-1964/h128|title=H.R. 7152. PASSAGE. -- House Vote #128 -- Feb. 10, 1964|website=GovTrack.us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/89-1965/h87|title=TO PASS H.R. 6400, THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT. -- House Vote #87 -- July 9, 1965|website=GovTrack.us}}</ref> but cast no vote on the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/90-1967/h113|title=TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR INTERFERENCE WITH CIVIL RIGHTS. INTERFERENCE WITH A PERSON ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE 8 ACTIVITIES PROTECTED UNDER THIS BILL MUST BE RACIALLY MOTIVATED TO INCUR THE BILL'S PENALTIES|website=GovTrack.us}}</ref><ref name="Smith-20Apri1979"/>

During the [[1968 Republican National Convention]], Morton served as the floor manager for eventual presidential nominee [[Richard Nixon]].  Morton also delivered the speech nominating [[Spiro Agnew]], then-[[governor of Maryland]], as the vice presidential candidate.<ref name="Smith-20Apri1979"/>

Due to his role in Nixon's election campaign and his environmental advocacy, Morton expected to be appointed as [[United States Secretary of the Interior|Secretary of the Interior]] in 1969.  However, he was passed over for the position in favor of a [[Western United States|westerner]].  He had also been considered for Nixon's vice presidential running mate, but lost out to Agnew.  In January 1969, to recognize his efforts, Nixon appointed Morton as chairman of the [[Republican National Committee]].<ref name="Evans-10Jan1969">{{cite news | first = Rowland | last = Evans |author2=Robert Novak | title = Rep. Morton of Maryland Is Called Likely Successor to GOP's Bliss | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | page = A23 | date = January 10, 1969}}</ref> As chairman, Morton was granted [[ex officio]] [[Cabinet of the United States|cabinet rank]] by Nixon, an unprecedented practice that ultimately continued through the administration of [[Gerald Ford]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/virtuallibrary/documents/PDD/1969/017%20November%201-15%201969.pdf | title=Richard Nixon presidential library - Document withdrawal record | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126020732/https://nixonlibrary.gov/virtuallibrary/documents/PDD/1969/017%20November%201-15%201969.pdf | archive-date=2017-01-26 }}</ref>

==1970 United States Senate election==
In 1969, leading up to the [[United States Senate elections, 1970|1970 elections]], Morton was considered one of the strongest potential candidates to challenge incumbent Democratic senator [[Joseph Tydings]].  Morton had sought the Republican nomination for Maryland's other U.S. Senate seat in the [[United States Senate elections, 1968|1968 elections]], but bowed out in favor of Congressman [[Charles Mathias]] to prevent a primary battle.<ref name="Jay-25Dec1969">{{cite news | first = Peter A. | last = Jay | title = Candidate Who Never Was, Anatomy of Morton's Trials | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | page = H1 | date = December 25, 1969}}</ref>

Speculation that Morton would seek election to Tydings' seat increased after an editorial in the ''[[Baltimore Sun]]'' encouraged him to challenge Tydings.  Sources within the administration of Vice President [[Spiro Agnew]], who was formerly governor of Maryland, were also commenting that Morton would make a strong candidate and would likely run.  When Morton stated he would be making an important announcement with President Nixon in December 1969, it seemed all but certain at the time that it would be to declare his candidacy.<ref name="Jay-25Dec1969"/>

However, Republicans around the country were concerned that Morton, who had just been appointed chairman of the RNC in January 1969, would resign during the election season to better handle the battle with Tydings. President Nixon shared their concerns, and encouraged Morton to remain as chairman.  On December 16, 1969, with Nixon by his side, Morton announced that his priorities were with the national committee, and that he would not seek Tydings' seat.<ref name="Jay-25Dec1969"/>  Morton also threw his full support for the nomination behind [[J. Glenn Beall Jr.]], a freshman member of the House from [[Cumberland, Maryland|Cumberland]], Mathias's successor in the House, and son of former senator [[James Glenn Beall]].<ref name="Jay-17Dec1969">{{cite news | first = Peter A. | last = Jay | title = Morton Won't Run Against Tydings | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | page = A1 | date = December 17, 1969}}</ref>

Morton's decision not to challenge Tydings initially worried Maryland Republicans, who saw Morton as one of their best candidates.  National Republican strategists had also begun to write off Tydings' seat as unwinnable for the 1970 election because of Tydings' wealth and popularity in the dense urban areas of [[Montgomery County, Maryland|Montgomery County]] and [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]].<ref name="Jay-17Dec1969"/>  However, despite initial misgivings by state Republicans, Beall defeated Tydings on November 3, 1970, by a margin of more than 30,000 votes.<ref name="Meyer-5Nov1970">{{cite news | first = Lawrence | last = Meyer | title = History Full Circle In Tydings' Defeat | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | page = A1 | date = November 5, 1970}}</ref>

==Secretary of the Interior==
[[File:Richard M. Nixon posing with his Cabinet - NARA - 194437.jpg|thumb|Rogers Morton in a group photo of Nixon's cabinet on June 16, 1972, third from the right on the bottom row.]]
Morton continued to serve in the House and as chairman of the RNC until 1971, when he was nominated to be [[United States Secretary of the Interior|Secretary of the Interior]] by President Nixon.  He was unanimously confirmed by the [[United States Senate]] Subcommittee on the Interior, though some concerns regarding Morton's record of [[environmental protection]] were raised by Phillip Berry, then-President of the [[Sierra Club]].<ref>{{cite news | first = Elsic | last = Carper | title = Senate Interior Unit Approves Morton | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | page = A2 | date = January 27, 1971}}</ref>  Morton's predecessor, [[Wally Hickel]], had been chosen over Morton to fill the job in 1969, but was fired by Nixon in late 1970 for criticizing White House policy.<ref name="Smith-20Apri1979"/>  Morton was the only person from the [[East Coast of the United States|east coast]] to serve as Interior Secretary in the 20th century.<ref name="Utley-MacKintosh-1989">{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/utley-mackintosh/interior13.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817060958/http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/utley-mackintosh/interior13.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 17, 2007 |title=The Department of Everything Else: Highlights of Interior History |access-date=2008-06-29 |publisher=[[United States Department of the Interior]] |year=1989}}</ref>

[[File:Rogers Morton of Maryland holding bird on his arm.jpg|thumb|right|Morton holding a bird as Secretary of the Interior]]

Upon assuming the office of Secretary of the Interior, Morton promised he would seek to "purify the environment".  However, as his tenure progressed, he was gradually isolated from the proceedings of the White House and lost several major divisions to other departments.  During the [[1973 oil crisis]], for example, the oil and natural gas divisions of the department were transferred to the Office of Emergency Preparedness.  Furthermore, though Morton was the one who announced the construction of the [[Trans-Alaska Pipeline System]], speculation was put forward that he did not play a major role in determining its route.<ref name="Smith-20Apri1979"/>

As he was leaving his post in 1975, further criticism was directed at Morton for his overseeing the partial dismantling of the Interior Department.  He was also criticized for lacking the vigor necessary to serve as head of a cabinet department, and for failing to see through the proposed creation of a new, stronger cabinet department that would have replaced Interior.<ref name="Carter-18Apr1975">{{cite news | first = Luther J. | last = Carter | title = The "Good Soldier" Leaves Interior, a Troubled Agency | publisher = [[Science (journal)|Science]] Vol. 188, No. 4185 | pages = 242–244, 292 | date = November 5, 1970}}</ref>

==Secretary of Commerce and the Ford administration==
Following the resignation of President Nixon in the [[Watergate scandal]], Morton continued in his position as Secretary of the Interior in the administration of President Gerald Ford. In March 1975, while still serving as the head of the Interior Department, Morton was nominated by Ford to serve as the next [[United States Secretary of Commerce|Secretary of Commerce]].  Ford cited Morton's extensive business experience as the primary factor for selecting him and expressed the hope that Morton would be able to "encourage American business to expand energy development and conservation efforts".<ref>{{cite news | first = Carroll | last = Kilpatrick | title = Ford Picks Morton as Commerce Chief | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | page = A1 | date = March 28, 1975}}</ref>

In January 1976, Ford announced Morton would be resigning as commerce secretary to instead serve as [[Counselor to the President]] with cabinet rank. Morton's new position was to advise the president on domestic and economic policy. In addition, Morton was to serve as the special liaison to the political committee to elect President Ford. Morton's duties blurred the line between his public and political duties, and caused controversy concerning how Morton would divide his time between the White House and Ford's election campaign, and how much of his salary would be supplied by taxpayers versus the Ford election committee. In rebuttal, Morton stated "you can't separate government from politics", and that Presidential aides should be allowed to offer political advice.<ref name="Chapman-14Jan1976">{{cite news | first = William | last = Chapman | title = Morton Named Ford Aide | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | page = A2 | date = January 14, 1976}}</ref>

In April 1976, Morton was named [[campaign manager]] for Ford leading up to the [[1976 United States presidential election|1976 presidential election]]. He replaced former [[U.S. Representative]] [[Howard Callaway|Bo Callaway]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], who was forced to resign following allegations of improper use of authority while he was [[United States Secretary of the Army|Secretary of the Army]]. Morton directed Ford's campaign until August 25, 1976, when he was reassigned as chairman of a steering committee and was replaced by [[James Baker]] of [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], [[Texas]].  Morton's demotion was at his own request; he said that he no longer wished to bear "the responsibility and accountability of the chairmanship".<ref name="Chapman-26Aug1976">{{cite news | first = Edward | last = Walsh | title = Morton Ousted, Ford Names New Campaign Chief | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | page = A1 | date = August 26, 1976}}</ref> After the 1976 campaign, Morton retired from politics.<ref name="CongBio"/>

==Later life==
After his retirement, Morton lived in his farm, "Presqu'isle", near [[Easton, Maryland|Easton]], Maryland, where he operated a boat construction business.<ref name="CongBio"/>

Morton had been diagnosed with [[prostate cancer]] in 1973, but he said that the disease was in its early phase and was still treatable.<ref name="WaPo-20Feb1973">{{cite news | title = Rogers Morton Has Cancer | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | page = A1 | date = February 20, 1973}}</ref>  In 1979, however, Morton died of the cancer at his home in Easton.<ref name="Smith-20Apri1979"/>  He is interred in Old Wye Cemetery in [[Wye Mills, Maryland|Wye Mills]], Maryland.<ref name="CongBio"/>

{{Portal|Biography|United States|Maryland|Politics}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt7fqz22d41d/guide Guide to the Angela Raisch Collection on Rogers C.B. Morton] housed at the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center
*{{C-SPAN|9262942}}
{{s-start}}
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{{s-ttl|title=Member of the [[List of United States Representatives from Maryland|U.S. House of Representatives]]<br />from [[Maryland's 1st congressional district]]|years=1963–1971}}
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{{s-break}}
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{{USSecInterior}}
{{RNCchairmen}}
{{USSecCommerce}}
{{United States presidential election, 1968}}
{{Nixon cabinet}}
{{Ford cabinet}}
{{USCongRep-start|congresses= 88th–91st [[United States Congress]]es |state=[[Maryland]]}}
{{USCongRep/MD/88}}
{{USCongRep/MD/89}}
{{USCongRep/MD/90}}
{{USCongRep/MD/91}}
{{USCongRep-end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Rogers}}
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1979 deaths]]
[[Category:American Episcopalians]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni]]
[[Category:Deaths from prostate cancer in Maryland]]
[[Category:Ford administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Louisville, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Nixon administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:People from Easton, Maryland]]
[[Category:Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Republican National Committee chairs]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland]]
[[Category:United States Army officers]]
[[Category:United States Navy officers]]
[[Category:United States secretaries of commerce]]
[[Category:United States secretaries of the interior]]
[[Category:Woodberry Forest School alumni]]
[[Category:Yale University alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century United States representatives]]