Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-17

LEVI P. MORTON.
| try estate. since the death of Mrs.
| Morton. in August. 1918; his daugh-
| ter and son-in-law. Mr.. and Mrs. Will
| liam c. Eusts of Washington. d. G..
and his nephew. Morton Minot.
| Another daughter, Miss Mary Nor
! ton. of Germantown. Pa, will arrive
! today having been unable to reach
/ Rhinebeck last night.
i Mr. Mortons ninety-sixth birthday
was formally celebrated Saturday.
when the children of the Rhinebeck
| schools held field day at his coun-
| try estate He had returned to FL
! lerslie from Washington, where he
made his residence May s. and hau
been in apparently good health until
! the middle of last week.
| Profound Regret in This City.
! News of the death Of MI morton
was received with profound regret IN
J the capital where for many years ne
was a prominent figure in social, OF
! fetal and business affairs. He was
member of the Metropolitan club ana
his Washington residence at low
Rhode Island avenue northwest. al
ways was gathering place lot
| Washington society. His daughter IS
the wife of William Corcoran Eust1s,
| a well known resident Of this city.
| Indications Of the business inter
ests held by Mr. Morton in Washing
ton may be gained from the fact that
!! for many years he headed the person.
| al tax list in the District. paving on
more than 100000 worth OF prop
terty He erected the Shoreham Ho-
| tel, which he named after his birth
place in Vermont. and disposed OF IT
| only in recent years. Among ms
present real estate holdings here is
| the home at 1900 Rhode Island ave-
| nue.. near Scott Circle.
! Mr. Morton spent great part OF
| last winter in Washington and left
| here for New York Saturday before
! last He appeared in excellent health
! Mr. and Mrs. Eustis left Washington
yesterday morning for Ellerslie. n. y.
! in response to a telegram notifying
| them of Mr.. Morton's illness
Born 1924 in Vermont.
! Mr. Morton was born May Is. 1924
! at Shoreham. VT. the son Of a New
| Hampshire clergyman. His educa-
! ton was received in the district
| school. supplemented by a term at
! the village academy. When at six
teen years of age he saw no hope Of
realizing his ambition to go to Dart
mouth College, young Morton entered
| a country store at Enfield. Mass.
where he worked until he had enough
| capital to start a modest establish
| ment of his own. Not havin been
! dUIE u cHltT Tic lutut
inancier and statesman got as near
to it as he could by selecting Han
| over. n. H., as the scene of his first
venture as merchant.
/ Hanover was too small to circum-
| scribe the ambitions of the young
| man. and in 1s49, at the age Of TWEEN
| ty-f1ve. he went to Boston and en-
! tered a dry goods house as small
partner. In five years the yearning
for greater field of activity took him
| to New York. and in 1854 he was a
partner in a dry goods esta blishment
| there.
He failed a few years before the
outbreak of the civil war, but i'm
mediately started banking bust
ness: approaching that the war
nnanciers to handle the government
| loans Mr.. Morton. started the
banking house Of Morton. Bliss &
Co. in New York. and Morton. Rose
& Co. in London. and dealt largely in
government bonds.
Just before the close of the war,
when he had accumulated fortune,
Mr.. Morton gave dinner to the men
to whom he was indebted when he
failed before the war. Upon his fail
claims. and at the dinner every cred
itor found check for the other half
Of the amount OF his bill, with in
tereSt, upon his plate.
Entered Politics in 1873.
Mr.. Morton's entrance into politics
In 1873 vas at the personal request
of the late President Chester A. Ar
thur. The republicans Of the. old
eleventh New York congressional dis
trict were very anxious to make "A
lstruggle to regain the district. al
though its democratic representative,
Ben Willis, was deemed almost in
vincibIe 1t was very difficult to Sc
andf lot lint faI RI he.
fore election Mr.. Morton. at the per-
sonal request Of Gen. Arthur. accepted
the nomination. 1t proved to be too
late. however. and Mr.. Willis was re-
elected by majority reduced from
1000 to scant 400 Two years later
the democrats renominated Mr.. VIII
lis and the republicans chose Mr.. Nor
ION to run again. Mr.. Morton was
elected by majority that exceeded
the total Willis vote.
1 Mr.. Morton might have been President
T his loyalty to the wishes of Senator
'toscoe Conkling had not made him re-
use the nomination for Vice Presiden
III the ticket with James A. Garfield
1880. President Garfield made him
minister to France in 1881. and the
french government, in recognition Of his
| ervices to both countries, gave the
name of Mr.. Morton's country to the
! street in front Of the residence Of the
American minister.
Elected Vice President in 1883.
| MIR. Morton was elected Vice Presi-
lnnt in 1883 on the ticket with Ben
( amin Harrison. but the was no renomi-
lated with the President in 1892. SEN
| ttor Plat picked him out for Governor
| IF New York in 1894 but after he took
he Office Gov. Morton showed little
consideration for Platts men and the
majors plans, which he deemed I'M
! .rthy.
Mr. Morton retired from public life
| no ay iva inn # tarp
| IF several years he spent much of his
.ne abroad. though maintaining an ae-
| .e connection with his large financial
| .terests in New York
| In 1913 Mr.. Morton was stricken with
| artial paralysis. which, with his al
L anced age. necessitated his complete