Joy Morton
Encyclopedia
,
Joy Morton (September 27, 1855 – May 10, 1934) founded the Morton Salt Company
and The Morton Arboretum
.
Morton grew to manhood in Nebraska City, Nebraska
in Nebraska Territory
. His mother, Caroline Joy, was an accomplished artist, musician, and gardener. His father, Julius Sterling Morton
, a newspaperman by vocation and a leader in Nebraska territorial and state politics, was central to, the founding of Arbor Day
. Julius Sterling Morton served as Secretary of Agriculture in President Grover Cleveland’s second term.
s and formed the Morkrum company (later Morkrum-Kleinschmidt) with the inventor Howard Krum. The company was later sold to American Telephone & Telegraph Company in 1930 for $30,000,000.
, a popular mayor of post-Civil War Chicago. Two years after Morton’s first wife died in 1915, he married Margaret Gray, who became a local leader in health care.
, chairing the Chicago Commercial Club’s
railway terminal committee for Daniel Burnham
's and Edward Bennett’s 1909 Plan of Chicago. Morton also served on the Chicago Plan Commission
for 25 years and was a staunch advocate of inland waterway transportation and building air rights
; the latter made possible the construction of buildings above railway lines, such as the Merchandise Mart and, later, Illinois Center. Morton Salt was the last firm to use the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Hennepin Canal to transport goods from Chicago to the Quad Cities via the Mississippi River before World War I.
(the family estate known as the birthplace of Arbor Day) to the State of Nebraska as its first state park.
Joy Morton (September 27, 1855 – May 10, 1934) founded the Morton Salt Company
Morton Salt
Morton Salt is a United States company producing salt for food, water conditioning, industrial, agricultural, and road/highway use. Based in Chicago, the business is North America's leading producer and marketer of salt. It is a subsidiary of the German company K+S.-History:The company began in...
and The Morton Arboretum
Morton Arboretum
The Morton Arboretum, in Lisle, Illinois, covers 1,700 acres and is made up of gardens of various plant types and collections of trees from specific taxonomical and geographical areas. It includes native woodlands and a restored Illinois prairie. The Arboretum has over 4,100 different species of...
.
Morton grew to manhood in Nebraska City, Nebraska
Nebraska City, Nebraska
Nebraska City is a city in Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,228 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Otoe County...
in Nebraska Territory
Nebraska Territory
The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska Territory was created by the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854...
. His mother, Caroline Joy, was an accomplished artist, musician, and gardener. His father, Julius Sterling Morton
Julius Sterling Morton
Julius Sterling Morton was a Nebraska editor who served as President Grover Cleveland's Secretary of Agriculture. He was a prominent Bourbon Democrat, taking the conservative position on political, economic and social issues, and opposing agrarianism...
, a newspaperman by vocation and a leader in Nebraska territorial and state politics, was central to, the founding of Arbor Day
Arbor Day
Arbor Day is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. It originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska, United States during 1872 by J. Sterling Morton. The first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872, and an estimated 1 million trees were planted that day.Many...
. Julius Sterling Morton served as Secretary of Agriculture in President Grover Cleveland’s second term.
Career
At 15, Morton began to manage the family farm and estate. He also took a job at the local bank. By age 18, he had fallen ill with spinal meningitis. Needing physical exercise and an outdoor environment for full recovery, he farmed his own land for two years. Later, he worked for railroads in Omaha and Aurora, Illinois before joining a Chicago salt distribution company in 1880. He soon owned the firm, naming it Joy Morton and Company, and branched out into the distribution and processing of agricultural products in Nebraska and Illinois.Brand names
Among Morton’s brands were Morton Salt and Argo Starch. In 1910, Morton named his salt company Morton Salt and began to acquire production and processing facilities around the country. Meanwhile he supported the development of teleprinterTeleprinter
A teleprinter is a electromechanical typewriter that can be used to communicate typed messages from point to point and point to multipoint over a variety of communication channels that range from a simple electrical connection, such as a pair of wires, to the use of radio and microwave as the...
s and formed the Morkrum company (later Morkrum-Kleinschmidt) with the inventor Howard Krum. The company was later sold to American Telephone & Telegraph Company in 1930 for $30,000,000.
Family
In 1880, Morton married Carrie Jane Lake, the daughter of Nebraska Supreme Court Judge, George Lake. They had two children, Jean, who married Joseph Cudahy of the Chicago meat packing company, and Sterling, who married Preston Owsley, the granddaughter of Carter Henry HarrisonCarter Harrison, Sr.
Carter Henry Harrison, Sr. was an American politician who served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois from 1879 until 1887; he was subsequently elected to a fifth term in 1893 but was assassinated before completing his term. He previously served two terms in the United States House of Representatives...
, a popular mayor of post-Civil War Chicago. Two years after Morton’s first wife died in 1915, he married Margaret Gray, who became a local leader in health care.
Civic duties
Morton took an active interest in the future of ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, chairing the Chicago Commercial Club’s
Commercial Club of Chicago
The Commercial Club of Chicago is an anti-labor club resulted from the 1907 merger of two predecessor Chicago clubs: the Merchants Club and the Commercial Club . Its most active members included George Pullman, Marshall Field, Cyrus McCormick, George Armour, Frederic Delano, Sewell Avery, Rufus...
railway terminal committee for Daniel Burnham
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
's and Edward Bennett’s 1909 Plan of Chicago. Morton also served on the Chicago Plan Commission
Chicago Plan Commission
The Chicago Plan Commission is a commission implemented to promote the Plan of Chicago, often called the Burnham Plan. After official presentation of the Plan to the city on July 6, 1909, the City Council of Chicago authorized Mayor Fred A. Busse to appoint the members of the Chicago Plan Commission...
for 25 years and was a staunch advocate of inland waterway transportation and building air rights
Air rights
Air rights are a type of development right in real estate, referring to the empty space above a property. Generally speaking, owning or renting land or a building gives one the right to use and develop the air rights....
; the latter made possible the construction of buildings above railway lines, such as the Merchandise Mart and, later, Illinois Center. Morton Salt was the last firm to use the Illinois and Michigan Canal and the Hennepin Canal to transport goods from Chicago to the Quad Cities via the Mississippi River before World War I.
Morton Arboretum
In 1922, Morton established The Morton Arboretum on 178 acre (0.72034108 km²) of land adjacent to his estate in Lisle, Illinois. Today, the Morton Arboretum has grown to 1700 acres (6.9 km²). As Morton began to define the direction the arboretum should take, he sought the advice of Charles Sprague Sargent, the director of Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum. They agreed that the Morton Arboretum should exist to display woody plants that grow in temperate zones around the world, to educate the public about them, and to conduct research on their management and preservation.Arbor Lodge
After his fathers death he used Arbor Lodge as his summer home. As he started his own arboretum, Morton honored his father by giving Arbor LodgeArbor Lodge State Historical Park and Arboretum
Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and Arboretum is a mansion, state park, and arboretum located at 2300 2nd Avenue, Nebraska City, Nebraska...
(the family estate known as the birthplace of Arbor Day) to the State of Nebraska as its first state park.
Sources
- Ballowe, James, http://www.niupress.niu.edu/niupress/scripts/book/bookResults.asp?ID=500 "A Man of Salt and Trees: The Life of Joy Morton", Northern Illinois University Press, 2009.
- Ballowe, James, with Michelle Klonowski (designer). A Great Outdoor Museum. The Story of the Morton Arboretum, 2003.
- The Sterling Morton Library archives, The Morton Arboretum
- http://www.chicagohs.org/ The Chicago History Museum (Morton Family papers).
- The Nebraska Historical Society (J. Sterling Morton archives)