Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/48

* MORTON. MORTON, IlENKY (1830-1902). A distin- jniislii'il American scientist and educator, lie tvas born in New York, and was educated at the Episcopal Academy in I'liiladelphia and at tl.e University of Tennsvlvania. He tirst studied law but "afterwards took up diemistry. and in 1803 became professor of diemistry in the Phila- delphia Dental College. In 180'J he took the chair of chemistry- in the University of Pennsyl- vania. In 1870 he became president of the Stevens Institute of Technolog-, at lloboken, K J toward the endowment of which he con- tributed over .$00,000. Dr. Morton conducted the photographic work of the eclipse ex|)cdition that went to Iowa in 1869. In 1873 lie carried out a series of important investigations on the fluorescent and absorption spectra of the uranian salts, on the lluoiescent liydrocarbon thallene, discovered by him in petroleum residues, etc. In 1878 he 'was a member of Heniy Draper s eclipse expedition, and while a member of the Lighthouse Board (1878-85) carried out valu- able experiments on electric lighting, fog signals, illuminating buoys, etc. His publications in- clude numerous papers in scientific periodicals and the ,^tude>ifs I'rnrtic«1 f/icmi'sfn/ (written jointly with Leeds and published at Philadelphia in 1808). MORTON, James Saint Clair (1829-64). An American soldier, a son of Samuel George Mor- ton (q.v.). He graduated at West Point in 1851, and from 1855 to 1857 was assistant professor of engineering in that institution. In 1860 be con- ducted an exploration for a railway route across Central America for the Covcrnment: in 1861 was promoted to be ca|)tain: in 1862 became chief engineer of the Army of the Ohio, and later in the year was transferred to a like Jiosi- lion in the .rmv of the Cumberland. He com- niandcd a Ijrigade at Stone River, was wounded at Chiekamauga. and was made major of engi- neers in July. 1803. As chief engineer of the Ninth .Vrmy" Corps he participated in Grant's Virginia campaign, and was killed while leading the'^assault on Petersburg. In recognition of his gallantry in this engagement Congress voted, after his death, that he be ranked as a brigadier- general in the Pegular .rmy. Previous to the war lie pul)li~he.l a number of works on fortifica- tjiiii :iiid 1-ngineering. MORTON, John- {U20?-1500). Archbishop of Canterbury and cardinal. He was born in Dorset, and educated at Cernc .bbey. a Benedic- tine fouiulatioii. and at Palliol College. Oxford. Having studied law. he took orders and began to practice in the Court of Arches, the ecclesiastical tribunal of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Here lie attracted the att«'ntion of Archbishop Rour- chier. who presented him to Henry VI.. and the latter made him a member of the Privy Council about 14.50. and also gave him valuable ecclesi- astical lienefices. Though he had followed for a time the fortunes of the Lanca-^trians. Ed- ward IV. took him into favor, made him Master of the Rolls in 1473. and in 1479 IJishop of Ely. He was not in favor with Uichard III., who ar- rested him and committed him to the custody of the Duke of Buckingham, from whom he e«c;iped and (led to th<' Earl of Richmond on the Continent. He is said to have suggested the union of the houses of York and Lancaster by the marriage of Richmond with the daughter of Edward IV. TTenrv VII. on his accession 3G MORTON. made Morton a memlicr of the Privy Council, and on the death of Cardinal Bouivhier, in 1480, he was promoted to the Sec ul Canterbury. In 1487 he was appointed Lord Chancellor, and in 1493 Pope Alexander VI. made liim a cardi- nal. Alorton was the chief councilor of Henry VII and hence has been held responsible, per- haps uniustlv, for Henry's avarice. (See Mob- ton's Fokk.) He died October 12, 1500. Ihe history of Richard III. which bears the name of Sir Thomas More was probably written in Latin by Morton. At Ely he drained the fens by Mor- ton's Dvke. Consult Hook. Liici of llw Arch- is/io/«"o; Canterbury, vol. v. (London, 18G7). MORTON, John ( 1724-77 ) . One of the sign- ers of the Declaration of Independence, born of Swedish ancestry, in Ridley Township, Chester County, Pa. He was a surveyor for some years, but subsequently became a lawyer. He was for several years a ■member of the Pennsylvania As- sembly, and in 1705 was chosen a delegate_to the SUunp Act C.mgress. From 1766 to 1/70 he was high sherilT of Chester County. During all this period he continued to serve in the Pennsylvania Assembly, and from 1772 to 1775 was S'pcaker of that body. He was an earnest champion of the rights of the Colonies in the pre-ltcyolutionarv controversies, and was active in furthering the cause of the Revolution after the outbreak of ho.stiiities. In 1774 he was elected a member of the Continental Congress, and remained a memljer of that body until his death, taking a leading part in the debates and helping to frame the Articles of Confederation. MORTON, JiLir.s Sterling (1832-1902). An merican political leader. He was born in Adams. JelTerson County, N. Y., and when two years old. was taken to "Michigan by his parents. He was educated in the Metho<list Episcopal cademy at Albion, and in 1850 entered the University of Michigan. He comi)leted his course at Union College, graduating in 1854, and in the year following settled in Nebraska, first at 'Belleyuo and later at Nebraska City, where he founded and edited the Nebraski City Vcics. the first newsj.aper to be estab- lished in the State. In 1856 and 1857 he was elected to the Nebraska Territorial Legislature, and in 1858 was appointed by President Bu- chanan secretary of tlic Territory, and became .cting Goyerno'r upon the resignation of Gov. V. A. Richardson, a few months later. In 1806 he was the Democratic candidate for Governor, but was defeated. From that time until 1881. when he was again a candidate for Governor, he took no part in politics. In 1893 he entered the Cabinet of President Cleveland as Secretary of Agiiculture. remaining in office until 1897." Vpon the advent of Villiam .Ten- nings Bryan into Nebraska politics he became one of his most active opp<ments. and identified himself with the Gold-Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. In 1901 he was appointed by President McKinlev one of the United States Commissioners for the Louisiana Purchase Expo- sition. He was a student of forestry, and was Ihe originator of 'Arbor Day' in Nebraska, the observance of which has extended to many other Stales At the time of his death he was editing a weekly paper entitled Thr fUmfni-ntive. m which he opposed most of the doctrines advocated in Bryan's Commoner.