Levi Morton served as vice president during the term of Benjamin Harrison, the only president so far to be preceded and followed in office by the same man. He was also one of America’s most prestigious financiers

He was born in Shoreline Vermont in 1824, the son of a Congregational minister. His early education included the Sherman academy, but as a good competent worker and money manager he soon found that he could be successful without the advantages of an advanced education. His older brother once advised him “A self made man is worth two of your college boys”. He taught a year of school in 1840-41 but decided instead to pursue a career in business. He started as a clerk in a local country store, and eventually saved enough to became the co owner of a dry goods store. 

In 1850 he became a wholesale merchant when he co founded Beebe Morton & Company of Boston. Four years later he moved to New York and established the firm of Morton and Grinell. They did a lucrative business purchasing cotton from the South, and then selling the South finished products from the North. When the Confederate States of America declared their independence from the Union Morton and Grinell found it impossible to collect payments from their Southern clients and had to go out of business. 

In 1863 Morton went in to the banking business as Levi Morton & Company, which was later to become Morton Bliss & Company. He also opened a business in London England called Morton Rose & Company. Morton’s banking skills were instrumental in helping to finance the Union during the Civil War. 

By 1869 Levi Morton was one of America’s wealthiest and most influential businessmen, joining the Ranks of JP Morgan, and August Belmont. Having worked with the bankers of Great Britain, as well as the United States, Morton helped to arrange a settlement of the “Alabama Claims” in 1872. During the war the Confederates had purchased the Alabama from Britain and used it as a warship against the Union. The United States claimed that the British were responsible for all damage, injury or death caused by the Alabama.

He was also one of the investors, which include John D. Rockefeller, JP Morgan and August Belmont, who financed the Missouri Kansas Texas Rail Road, which was known as the MKT and then popularly nicknamed the KATY. It was a branch of the Union Pacific that was granted permission to pass through Indian Territory in Oklahoma. Today part of its old track bed is a popular bicycle trail in Missouri. 

During much of his business career he was known as “LP Morgan”. His wife preferred that he use his initials instead of the Old Testament name of Levi. Was she possibly concerned that people would question her husband’s religious affiliation? 

In gratitude for his support of the Republican Party President Hayes made Morton the honorary chairman of the Paris Exposition in 1878.


Levi Morton began his career in politics when he ran as a Republican for Congress and lost in 1876. Two years later he was elected, and re elected in 1880. He turned down James Garfield’s request to be his running mate. Less than a year later the man who accepted, Chester Arthur, would be the president. 

In 1881 Morton went to Paris to become the United States Minister to France. He was given the honor of pounding in the first bolt when the statue of Lady Liberty was displayed in Paris on October 19th 1881 for the celebrating the 100th anniversary of the British defeat at Yorktown. Today it stands in New York Harbor as the Statue of Liberty. That same year he was honored with a LLD degree from Dartmouth University. 

Morton failed to get himself elected to the US Senate in 1887, but his campaign contributions to his fellow Republicans gave him a place on the ticket with Benjamin Harrison when he ran against Grover Cleveland in 1888. 

When Vice President Morton took his place as President of the Senate the Republicans were disappointed and frustrated when Morton refused to use the power of his position to give any favorable treatment to his fellow party members. President Harrison wanted Congress to pass a voting rights bill that would protect Black citizens at the polling places. When the bill came before the Senate, Morton said and did nothing to show any support or recommendation for it. The bill failed to pass resulting in a rather cool relationship between the President and the Vice President. When the Republicans met for their national convention New York newspaper publisher Whitelaw Reid replaced Levi Morton as the nominee for vice president. 

One of Vice President Levi Morton’s more notable ceremonial events was dedicating the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1892. It was officially opened the next year by returning president Grover Cleveland. 

In 1895 he was elected Governor of New York. It was during his term that the Department of Corrections made much needed humanitarian changes to New York’s system of incarceration. Before the corrective legislation was passed people who were indigent, or mentally ill were locked up with common criminals, some of whom had committed violent crimes and even murder. After the new laws were passed the mentally ill were confined at hospitals, and indigents were housed in separate facilities away from the violent criminals. He also helped to consolidate the different Burroughs of New York to make the modern day New York City. 

In 1899 he founded the Morton Trust Company. In 1910 it merged with a banking firm Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York. After the merger was approved the name Morton was dropped from the company name. Levi Morton was no longer in business or politics. 

Levi Morton retired and lived quietly until his death in 1920. 

Vice President Levi Morton certainly proved that a man could be financially successful without the benefit of a higher education but I can’t help but wonder how much more his career, as a businessman/politician would have succeeded if he had had the benefit of sharpening his political/business skills working his way through college?