Morton, Julius Sterling, , New York 1832 1902 Male Agriculturist Secretary of Agriculture ( agriculturist, was born at Adams, Jefferson County, N. Y. , of New England lineage, the son of Julius Dewey and Emeline (Sterling) Morton.
On Oct. 30, 1854, he was married to Caroline Joy French, the daughter of Hiram Joy and the adopted daughter of David and Cynthia French of Detroit.
He spent two years at the University of Michigan, but, owing to his independence of the constituted authorities, he was expelled in his senior year.
Although he was apparently never in residence at Union College, Schenectady, N. Y. , he received the A. B. degree there in 1856.
In 1858 the Regents of the University of Michigan voted to confer the A. B. degree as of the class of 1854.
In 1834 Julius Morton followed the tide of emigration into the west, locating first at Monroe, Mich. , and later at Detroit, where he became a well-known and prosperous citizen.
The wedding trip was the journey to a new home in Nebraska, then much advertised by reason of the discussion Douglas' Kansas-Nebraska Act had aroused.
For several months of that time he also served as acting-governor.
In the days when the railroads figured largely in Nebraska politics, he was regarded as the especial friend of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad.
Cleveland's appointment came to Morton not merely because of his political record and his low-tariff, hard-money views but also because of his standing as an agriculturist.
Tree-planting was his hobby, and he set out literally hundreds of trees with his own hands.
To encourage the same practice on the part of others, he urged that one day each year, to be known as Arbor Day, should be especially dedicated to that purpose, and from 1872 to 1885 some day in April was generally so observed throughout the state (see sketch of Robert W. Furnas).
In the latter year the legislature designated his birthday, Apr. 22, as Arbor Day and declared it a legal holiday.
From Nebraska the idea spread to many other states and even outside the United States.
Throughout his life he made numerous speeches in Nebraska and elsewhere (A Speech Delivered at the Nebraska State Fair, 1873; A Commemorative Pamphlet, 1876, at Nebraska City, .
Containing an Oration, 1876; Addresses at Chicago 1893, 1893).
His emergence into national prominence gratified the pride of his fellow citizens, who, before the advent of William Jennings Bryan, were unaccustomed to such honors.
Up to the time of his death, at his son's home in Lake Forest, Ill. , he was generally regarded, by friend and foe alike, as one of Nebraska's foremost citizens.
[Illustrated Hist.
of Neb. , ed.
by J. S. Morton succeeded by Albert Watkins, vol.
I (1905); A. E. Sheldon, Nebraska (1931), vol.
I; J. M. Woolworth, In Memory of Caroline Joy French Morton (1882); Univ. of Mich.
Regents' Proceedings, 1837-64 (1915); letters from D. Richard Weeks of the Graduate Council of Union College and from Lunette Hadley of the Alumni Catalogue Office of Univ. of Mich. : Arbor Day, ed.
by R. W. Furnas (1888); Neb.
The next year, 1898, he began to publish the Conservative, a periodical devoted to political and economic discussions, which was suspended soon after his death.
He was a Democrat, and as such he was repeatedly a candidate for office.
