Thruston Ballard Morton
Thurston B. Morton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of the Republican National Committee | |
| In office July 1, 1959 – June 2, 1961 | |
| Preceded by | Meade Alcorn |
| Succeeded by | William E. Miller |
| United States Senator from Kentucky | |
| In office January 3, 1957 – December 16, 1968 | |
| Preceded by | Earle Clements |
| Succeeded by | Marlow Cook |
| 4th Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs | |
| In office January 30, 1953 – February 29, 1956 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Jack K. McFall |
| Succeeded by | Robert C. Hill |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 3rd district | |
| In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1953 | |
| Preceded by | Emmet O'Neal |
| Succeeded by | John Robsion |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 19, 1907 United States Naval Reserve |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Thruston Ballard Morton (August 19, 1907 – August 14, 1982) was an American politician. A Republican, Morton represented Kentucky in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
Early life
Morton was born on August 19, 1907, in Louisville, Kentucky, to Dave Morton and his wife, Mary Ballard, descended from pioneer settlers of the area. He had a brother, Rogers Clark Ballard Morton, who also became a politician, and a sister, Jane, who survived him. He attended local public schools and the Woodberry Forest School, before he entered Yale University. He received a B.A. there in 1929.
Morton then worked in the family business, Ballard & Ballard Flour Milling, becoming its chairman of the board before the company was sold to the
A lifelong Episcopalian, he married Belle Clay Lyons and was survived by their two sons, Clay Lyons Morton and Thruston Ballard Morton Jr., and five grandchildren.
His brother, Rogers Clark Ballard Morton, represented Maryland in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1963 through 1971. The Morton brothers served together in the U.S. Congress from 1963 to 1968, with Thruston as a U.S. Senator representing Kentucky and Rogers as a U.S. Representative representing Maryland. Both brothers also served as chair of the Republican National Committee.
Rogers Morton subsequently became U.S. Secretary of the Interior in the administration of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and then became U.S. Secretary of Commerce under Ford, before chairing Ford's re-election campaign in 1976.
Political career
U.S. House of Representatives
After naval service in
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State
Morton did not seek re-election in
U.S. Senate
In
. Morton served from January 3, 1957, until his resignation, on December 16, 1968.In the Senate, Morton was considered a moderate. He voted in favor of the Senate amendment to the
Morton was the chair of the Republican National Committee from 1959 to 1961 and chaired the Republican National Convention of 1964.
When Morton retired, he surprised many, who considered him at the peak of his political power. However, he opposed the
Morton is interviewed in the 1968 documentary film In the Year of the Pig, and another interview is available through the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library.[12]
Consideration for 1960 Vice Presidential Nomination
Morton was among the last two candidates considered by Richard Nixon as a vice presidential running mate in 1960. As a midwesterner, however, he was considered to have a regional appeal where Nixon already figured to poll strongly and Nixon instead chose Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., of Massachusetts.[13]
Later life
After his retirement from the U.S. Senate, Morton served as vice chairman of
Morton died after many years of declining health. His brother Rogers Morton had died three years previously, and his wife, Belle, survived him by more than a decade.[14] He was interred at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.[15]
Legacy
His papers are held by Louisville's
References
- The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate, Alfred A. Knopf, 2002, New York, p. 658
- ^ "Senate – August 7, 1957" (PDF). Congressional Record. 103 (10). U.S. Government Printing Office: 13900. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – August 29, 1957" (PDF). Congressional Record. 103 (12). U.S. Government Printing Office: 16478. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – April 8, 1960" (PDF). Congressional Record. 106 (6). U.S. Government Printing Office: 7810–7811. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – June 19, 1964" (PDF). Congressional Record. 110 (11). U.S. Government Printing Office: 14511. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – March 11, 1968" (PDF). Congressional Record. 114 (5). U.S. Government Printing Office: 5992. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – March 27, 1962" (PDF). Congressional Record. 108 (4). U.S. Government Printing Office: 5105. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – May 26, 1965" (PDF). Congressional Record. 111 (2). U.S. Government Printing Office: 11752. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – August 4, 1965" (PDF). Congressional Record. 111 (14). U.S. Government Printing Office: 19378. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ "Senate – August 30, 1967" (PDF). Congressional Record. 113 (18). U.S. Government Printing Office: 24656. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ Library of Congress exhibition, The Civil Rights Act of 1964
- ^ "DiscoverLBJ" (PDF). transition.lbjlibrary.org. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ISBN 0-671-65722-4.
- ^ Gaiter, Dorothy J. (August 15, 1982). "THRUSTON B. MORTON IS DEAD AT 74; SERVED AS SENATOR FROM KENTUCKY". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "MORTON, Thruston Ballard". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ "Morton, Thruston Ballard (1907-1982) Papers, 1968-1982 | The Filson Historical Society". The Filson Historical Society. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "Kentucky Digital Library". kdl.kyvl.org. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
External links
- United States Congress. "Thruston Ballard Morton (id: M001022)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Guide to the Thruston B Morton papers, housed at the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center
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