Morton, Julius Sterling (1832–1902)

US agriculturalist. Morton was born in Adams, New York. After college he relocated to Nebraska City where he edited the town's newspaper (1854). Active in the territory of Nebraska's politics, he served on the territorial legislature (1855–58) and was appointed secretary of the territory by President James Buchanan (1858–61). He loved trees and in 1872 he had Nebraska observe an ‘arbor day’ on which to plant trees. In 1885 the Nebraska legislature established his birthday, 22 April, as Arbor Day (since observed by other states on different days). In 1893–97 he was appointed secretary of agriculture by President Grover Cleveland. He conceived and mapped out The Illustrated History of Nebraska (3 volumes 1905–13) and began publication of the Conservative, a journal of politics and economics, which was suspended after his death.