Morton, John T.

Born: 1821-09-07 Plymouth, Massachusetts

Died: 1901-05-01 Topeka, Kansas

Flourished: Springfield, Illinois

John T. Morton moved with his family from his native Massachusetts to Hillsboro, Illinois, in 1827. Ten years later, Morton moved with his family to Quincy, Illinois, where he graduated from Illinois College in 1843. After studying law with Orville H. Browning, Morton passed the bar and began practicing law in Henry County, Iowa. He also entered politics in 1846, with his election to the Iowa House of Representatives, later serving as speaker pro tem, district attorney, and a member of the Iowa Senate. He next moved to journalism, becoming editor of the Mount Pleasant Observer. He returned to Quincy and served as the editor and proprietor of the Quincy Whig from 1851 to 1860, when he moved to Topeka, Kansas. There, Morton served as clerk of the United States Court for three years, secretary of the Kansas Senate, probate judge of Shawnee County, and in various other positions.

Morton married Mary F. Wyman of Quincy in 1846 and the couple had one child. Mary died in 1854, and Morton married Clara Jones of Pennsylvania.

The Topeka State Journal (KS), 2 May 1901, 1:3; The Quincy Weekly Whig (IL), 13 July 1893, 8:5; Evening Telegraph (Dixon, IL), 3 May 1901, 7:2; The Evening Republican (Meadville, PA), 11 May 1901, 4:2; U.S. Census Office, Ninth Census of the United States (1870), Ward 1, Topeka, Shawnee County, KS, 36; Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Adams County, 10 November 1846, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL.