Jackson Morton
Encyclopedia
Jackson Morton was an antebellum United States Senator
from Florida
and then a member of the Congress of the Confederate States
during the American Civil War
.
. He was the brother of Jeremiah Morton
, a U.S. Representative
from Virginia
. Jackson Morton graduated from Washington College (now Washington and Lee University
) of Lexington, Virginia
, in 1814 and from the College of William and Mary
in Williamsburg, Virginia
, in 1815. Morton moved to Pensacola, Florida
, in 1820 and engaged in the lumber business.
. Morton was a United States Navy
agent in Pensacola from 1841 to 1845. In 1848, he was a presidential elector on the Whig Party
ticket.
Morton was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1848. He served in the Senate from 1849 to 1855 and was not a candidate for reelection. Morton resumed activity in the lumber business after his senate service.
division grew between northern and southern United States, Morton became active in the development of the Confederacy
. On November 30, 1860, he was chosen to represent Santa Rosa County
as a delegate of the Florida Secession Convention in Tallahassee
. On January 7, 1861, Morton was appointed to be part of a twelve-person committee to prepare an Ordinance of Secession
for Florida. Morton and George Taliaferro Ward
attempted to have the ordinance amended so that Florida would not secede until Georgia
and Alabama
seceded and so that popular ratification would be required. They were overruled on January 8, 1861, and the ordinance went to a vote as planned. Morton voted in favor of secession and, on January 10, 1861, by a vote of 62-7, Florida became the third state to leave the United States.
On January 17, 1861, Morton was appointed to be a delegate to the Montgomery, Alabama
, convention for constructing a provisional Confederate government. On February 4, 1861, the delegates met and drafted the Provisional Confederate States Constitution
which was signed by Morton and the rest of the delegates four days later. The delegates at this convention became the Provisional Confederate Congress
. Morton served for the duration of the provisional congress and, in the month following the provisional constitution, he also signed its successor, the Confederate States Constitution
. Morton and Augustus Maxwell
were the only people to represent Florida in both the United States Congress and the Confederate Congress.
Jackson Morton returned to Santa Rosa County and died at his home, "Mortonia", near Milton, Florida
, on November 22, 1874. Morton was interred there in a private cemetery.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and then a member of the Congress of the Confederate States
Congress of the Confederate States
The Congress of the Confederate States was the legislative body of the Confederate States of America, existing during the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early life
Morton was born in Fredericksburg, VirginiaFredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
. He was the brother of Jeremiah Morton
Jeremiah Morton
Jeremiah Morton was a nineteenth century politician and lawyer from Virginia. He was the younger brother of Florida senator Jackson Morton....
, a U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Jackson Morton graduated from Washington College (now Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
) of Lexington, Virginia
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
, in 1814 and from the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
in Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
, in 1815. Morton moved to Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, in 1820 and engaged in the lumber business.
U.S. government
In 1836, Morton became a member of the Florida Territorial Legislative Council and served as its president in 1837. In 1838, he was a delegate to the state constitutional convention for the first Florida ConstitutionFlorida Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Florida is the document that establishes and describes the duties, powers, structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of Florida, and establishes the basic law of the state....
. Morton was a United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
agent in Pensacola from 1841 to 1845. In 1848, he was a presidential elector on the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
ticket.
Morton was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1848. He served in the Senate from 1849 to 1855 and was not a candidate for reelection. Morton resumed activity in the lumber business after his senate service.
Confederate government
As the slaverySlavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
division grew between northern and southern United States, Morton became active in the development of the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. On November 30, 1860, he was chosen to represent Santa Rosa County
Santa Rosa County, Florida
Santa Rosa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the population was 117,743, while a July 1, 2005, estimate placed the population at 143,105, an 18% increase making it the 84th fastest growing county in the United States between 2000 and 2005. ...
as a delegate of the Florida Secession Convention in Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
. On January 7, 1861, Morton was appointed to be part of a twelve-person committee to prepare an Ordinance of Secession
Ordinance of Secession
The Ordinance of Secession was the document drafted and ratified in 1860 and 1861 by the states officially seceding from the United States of America...
for Florida. Morton and George Taliaferro Ward
George Taliaferro Ward
George Taliaferro Ward was a cotton plantation owner and politician from Leon County, Florida. He served the Confederate States of America as a colonel during the American Civil War.-Personal:...
attempted to have the ordinance amended so that Florida would not secede until Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
seceded and so that popular ratification would be required. They were overruled on January 8, 1861, and the ordinance went to a vote as planned. Morton voted in favor of secession and, on January 10, 1861, by a vote of 62-7, Florida became the third state to leave the United States.
On January 17, 1861, Morton was appointed to be a delegate to the Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, convention for constructing a provisional Confederate government. On February 4, 1861, the delegates met and drafted the Provisional Confederate States Constitution
Provisional Confederate States Constitution
The Provisional Constitution of the Confederate States of America was an interim constitution adopted by the Confederacy and in force from February 8, 1861 to March 11, 1861. On March 11 it was superseded by the more permanent Constitution of the Confederate States of America...
which was signed by Morton and the rest of the delegates four days later. The delegates at this convention became the Provisional Confederate Congress
Provisional Confederate Congress
The Provisional Confederate Congress, for a time the legislative branch of the Confederate States of America, was the body which drafted the Confederate Constitution, elected Jefferson Davis President of the Confederacy, and designed the first Confederate flag...
. Morton served for the duration of the provisional congress and, in the month following the provisional constitution, he also signed its successor, the Confederate States Constitution
Confederate States Constitution
The Constitution of the Confederate States of America was the supreme law of the Confederate States of America, as adopted on March 11, 1861 and in effect through the conclusion of the American Civil War. The Confederacy also operated under a Provisional Constitution from February 8, 1861 to March...
. Morton and Augustus Maxwell
Augustus Maxwell
Augustus Emmett Maxwell was a United States Representative from Florida as well as a senator in the Confederate Congress representing Florida.-Early life:...
were the only people to represent Florida in both the United States Congress and the Confederate Congress.
Jackson Morton returned to Santa Rosa County and died at his home, "Mortonia", near Milton, Florida
Milton, Florida
Milton , or Milltown, because Milton had the largest mill around) is a city in Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States. The city was incorporated in 1844 and is home to Naval Air Station Whiting Field. The population was 7,045 at the 2000 census. In 2004, the population recorded by the U.S...
, on November 22, 1874. Morton was interred there in a private cemetery.
See also
- List of United States Senators from Florida
- United States congressional delegations from FloridaUnited States congressional delegations from FloridaThese are tables of congressional delegations from Florida to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.Unlike many smaller states that generally have continuity in their districts when reapportioned every 10 years after the United States Census, Florida has seen a great...