Julius Sterling Morton

Biographical Portrait JULIUS STERLING MORTON BY BYRON ANDERSON ulius Sterling Morton (April , to Carolina Joy French, and together they was the beginning of a series of defeats in JApril , ), newspaper editor, politi- moved to Nebraska and eventually set- political elections in which he played the cian, conservationist, and Secretary of tled in Nebraska City. There, Morton trying role of a Democrat from the North Agriculture, is most noted for being the started the Nebraska City News. during and after the Civil War. In the man who first proposed the idea of In Nebraska, J. Sterling Morton, as he meantime, his political activity found Arbor Day, the tree planter’s holiday. now signed his name, assumed political expression in writing and speaking, and Born in Adams, New York to Julius leadership in the new territory. He was a he remained uncompromising in his con- Dewey and Emeline Sterling Morton, the Democrat who clung tenaciously to party servative views. father was a prosperous produce com- traditions, and was an uncompromising Morton turned his attention from polit- mission businessman. The majority of conservative from a section of the coun- ical contests to the quarter section of land Morton’s early years were spent in try that seemed to produce only radicals. on which he made his home. Of primary Albion, Michigan where he was educat- Through a protégé’s influence, President consideration was the planting of trees. ed at the Wesleyan Seminary. He attend- James Buchanan appointed Morton sec- He experimented with various types of ed the University of Michigan, but retary of the Nebraska Territory in , trees, both forest and fruit, and attempted received his B.A. degree from Union and from September until May , to find varieties that would do best in the College in Schenectady, New York. He he served as acting governor. In , he soil and the climate of Nebraska. Though worked for a while as a reporter for the was a candidate for Congress, and received not a working farmer, agriculture was an Detroit Free Press, a vocational identifi- a certificate of election from the governor. important part of both his personal and cation he gained through his uncle and The seat was contested in the Congres- political life. For many years he was presi- grandfather, both of whom were news- sional House, and because it was over- dent of the State Board of Agriculture. paper publishers. In , he married whelmingly Republican, Morton lost. This More than this direct involvement in agriculture was the zeal with which Morton spread agricultural information and pro- moted agricultural advancement. As editor, he constantly advocated for improved agriculture, and was most enthusiastic in his praise of tree planting. To Morton, the Nebraska prairie would benefit through trees because they would provide lumber, fruit, and windbreaks, as well as hold the moisture in soil. He recognized an aes- thetic value to trees and linked this to his belief that individuals who took pride in their own home would be more patriotic. Morton believed that Nebraska could be made into a great agricultural and hor- ticultural state. As a result, he offered a resolution to the State Board of Agriculture that the th day of April , be “set apart and consecrated for tree planting in the State of Nebraska, and the State Board of Agriculture hereby name it Arbor Day; and PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION ARBOR DAY PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL to urge upon the people of the State the Julius Sterling Morton. vital importance of tree planting.” It was FOREST HISTORY TODAY | FALL 2000 31 unanimously adopted. Morton dubbed this Nature or Physical Geography as Modified time of this appointment Morton served “the battle against the treeless prairies.” As by Human Action aroused widespread as president of the American Forestry part of a promotional effort to encourage interest in the seriousness of the problem. Association. During his fours years in the tree planting, Morton said in a letter to the A central point of Arbor Day programs cabinet, Morton and Cleveland found Omaha Daily Record, dated April , , was that wise conservation practices were much to admire in each other’s conser- “There is no aristocracy in trees. They are the responsibility of every citizen. vatism and undying devotion to principle. not haughty. They will thrive near the When Morton proposed Arbor Day, he Morton’s economizing lead him to turn humblest cabin on our fertile prairies, just did not mention its application to schools. back to the treasury over percent of the as well and become just as refreshing to This idea was approached in by B.G. appropriated . million dollar depart- the eye and as fruitful as they will in the Northrup before a meeting of the mental budget, while at the same time shadow of a king’s palace.” As an added American Forestry Association. He offered expanding and improving the services of incentive, provision was made for prize a resolution in honor of observing Arbor the Department of Agriculture. He added monies to go to the individual who plant- Day in schools. While slow in adopting three new lines of scientific investigation— ed the largest number of trees. The first the plan, schools came to observe the day agrostology, agricultural soils and crop Arbor Day proved unexpectedly popular not only by planting trees, but also by spe- production, and road improvement. He with over one million trees planted. cial programs as well. Typical of these pro- inaugurated a Section of Foreign Markets So successful was Arbor Day that it was grams, each child would dedicate a tree to study ways in which to extend foreign made an annual event beginning in , to a person of importance in the city, state, markets for U.S. agricultural products and and in the state legislature passed an or nation. The day became, in part, a patri- he improved the Weather Bureau. act specifying April , the anniversary of otic holiday. As part of his economizing in govern- Morton’s birth, as the date on which Arbor Day was influential in inducing ment expenditures, Morton was deter- Arbor Day would henceforth be cele- Congress to pass the Timber Culture Act mined to stop waste. One of the bigger brated as a legal holiday. The idea even- of . The law offered free land to set- wastes he saw was the promiscuous free tually spread to all U.S. states and many tlers who would plant trees on the claims. distribution of rare and uncommon vari- foreign countries. Because it was never The Act helped stimulate tree planting, eties of seeds by congressmen to their made a federal holiday, and because of but was generally not successful, and was constituents. The seeds were looked upon regional differences in climate, Arbor Day repealed in . as part of the election funds of Congress. is celebrated in different ways at various Morton’s highest political honor came In an uncharacteristic move, Morton times around the world. The most com- in when President Grover Cleveland bought up the world’s supply of these monly observed day in the United States appointed him Secretary of Agriculture. seeds until none were left, leaving the is the last Friday in April. Morton was the first man from west of statute ineffective. The issue developed The idea of Arbor Day was timely as the Missouri to serve in a cabinet post. In into a minor crisis and the legislators had concern had been building over the rapid Morton, Cleveland had an outstanding no intention of acquiescing. They passed utilization of forests throughout the exponent of sound money, low tariffs, and a resolution for continuation of seed dis- United States. As early as , George economy in government, as well as his tribution without Cleveland’s approval. Perkins Marsh’s publication Man and standing as an agriculturalist. At the same In the years following his cabinet posi- tion, Morton was elected president of the National Sound Money League, an orga- nization affiliated with the gold standard wing of politics. He authored a number of political monographs including Fallacies of the Free Silver Arguments (Washington, DC: s.n., ). He kept his political con- victions alive by starting the weekly jour- nal, The Conservative. He reluctantly endorsed William McKinley for president over his old foe, William Jennings Bryan. McKinley was a trade protectionist, an anathema idea to Morton, but had as his running mate a man much admired by Morton, Teddy Roosevelt. Also as part of the post-cabinet period, Morton became the first editor of the publication, Illustrated History of Nebraska, 3 vols. (Lincoln, NE: North & Co., ). He continued to cul- tivate his land in Nebraska, and over the DRAWING IS FROM FRANK LESLIE’S ILLUSTRATED NEWSPAPER, MAY 13, 1882 MAY NEWSPAPER, IS FROM FRANK LESLIE’S ILLUSTRATED DRAWING years enlarged his home from a -room Morton was the originator of Arbor Day, resulting in the planting of billions of trees through- cabin to a -room mansion he called out the world. Arbor Lodge. 32 FOREST HISTORY TODAY | FALL 2000 FOREST HISTORY SOCIETY COLLECTION J. Sterling Morton, Secretary of Agriculture, and James Robison Cook, Secretary of the Weather Bureau. Morton died in at the home of his helped spawn a new cultural upswell of death of J. Sterling Morton, the family son Paul. A special train brought the body environmental concern as Earth Day was donated the Nebraska City homestead to from Chicago to Nebraska City. Morton’s first observed on April , . The tradi- the state. The estate is now preserved as life had primarily revolved around politics tional Arbor Day continues to bring its con- the Arbor Lodge State Historical Park.

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