Paul Morton

Paul Morton (22 May, 1857 – 19 February, 1911) served as the thirty-sixth Secretary of the Navy from 1904 through 1905.

Life & Career

A former vice president of the Acheson, Topeka and Sante Fe Railroad, Morton was Secretary of the Navy for less than a year before he was forced to resign to avoid scandal when it was found that the railroad had given illegal rebates during his vice presidency. President Theodore Roosevelt was insistent that Morton himself was unaware of any improprieties. The New York Times later wrote that Morton "was not long enough in the department to produce much effect in the organization of the navy, but what he accomplished was in the direction of efficiency and economy. He is remembered for his impatience of red tape and ceremonial, and the steps he took to consolidate the powers plants in various navy yards and to reorganize the business methods in vogue."

Morton's attitude towards naval policy reflected his background as a corporate executive: he later declared "that the cost of a great navy to a country with such possessions as the Philippines and Hawaii was not worth considering if it was looked on in the light of insurance." Morton was also "a believer in building ships of the largest size and the most powerful armament possible". It was during his tenure as Secretary of the Navy that design work began in earnest on the U.S. Navy's first dreadnoughts, the two South Carolinas.

After leaving office, Morton became president of the Equitable Life Assurance Society. He died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage at the Hotel Seymour in New York City on 19 February, 1911.

See Also

• Wikipedia

Bibliography

• Friedman, Norman (1985). U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-715-1. (on Amazon.com).