Lot Myrick Morrill (May 3, 1813January 10, 1883) was an American statesman and accomplished politician who served as the
28th Governor of Maine, as a
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
, and as
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...
under President
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
. An advocate for
hard currency rather than
paper money, Morrill was popularly received as Treasury Secretary by the American press and
Wall Street
Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
. He was known for financial and political integrity, and was said to be focused on serving the public good rather than party interests.
[Detroit Free Press (June 22, 1876), ''The New Secretary of the Treasury'', p. 2] Morrill was President Grant's fourth and last Secretary of the Treasury.
A native of
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, Morrill received a public school education, briefly attended
Waterville College
Colby College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the ...
, and became principal of a private school in New York. Morrill then studied law and passed the bar in 1839, afterwards setting up law practices in
Readfield
Readfield (/ˈɹid fild/) is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,597 at the 2020 census. Readfield is home to the Kents Hill School, a preparatory school, Maranacook Community Schools, public schools for the dis ...
and
Augusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Kennebec County.
The city's population was 18,899 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth-most populous city in Maine, and third-least populous state capital in the Un ...
. Known for his eloquent speaking, he was popular among Democratic friends advocating for
temperance
Temperance may refer to:
Moderation
*Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed
*Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion
Culture
*Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...
. Morrill was elected to
Maine's House of Representatives in 1854 as a Democrat and served as Chairman of the Maine
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
. However, as the national divide over
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
grew during the 1850s, Morrill shifted his political allegiance to the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
for the sole reason that Republicans opposed the expansion of slavery. He was elected as a Republican to
Maine's State Senate in 1856, followed by his election as Governor of Maine in 1858. As the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
broke out in 1861, Morrill was elected to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Maine's
Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 15th vice president of the United States from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republican ...
, who assumed the office of Vice President under President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
. Morrill's Senate tenure lasted nearly 15 years, spanning from the start of the Civil War to the waning days of
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...
. While in the Senate, Morrill sponsored legislation that outlawed slavery in Washington, D.C., and advocated for education and
suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...
for African American
freedmen
A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), abolitionism, emancipation (gra ...
.
In 1876, President Grant appointed Morrill to serve as U.S. Treasury Secretary after Sec.
Benjamin Bristow resigned from the position. When Morrill left the Senate to lead the Treasury Department, his political rival
James G. Blaine
James Gillespie Blaine (January 31, 1830January 27, 1893) was an American statesman and Republican politician who represented Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863 to 1876, serving as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative ...
was appointed by Maine's governor to fill the then-vacant Senate seat. Morrill advocated strongly in support of the gold standard during his eight-month tenure as Secretary. Upon his retirement from the Treasury Department in 1877, President
Rutherford B. Hayes appointed Morrill as Collector of Customs in Portland, Maine, a position he held until his death in 1883.
Early life
Lot M. Morrill was born on May 3, 1813 in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
(in modern-day
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, then a part of
) to Peaslee and Nancy (Macomber) Morrill.
[Dictionary of American Biography, ''Lot Myrick Morrill''] He was of entirely English ancestry, his earliest immigrant ancestor was Abraham Morrill, who came to America from England in 1632 as part of the Great Puritan migration. The Morrill family was very large; Lot having been one of 14 children. His older brother
Anson P. Morrill
Anson Peaslee Morrill (June 10, 1803 – July 4, 1887) was an American politician who served as the 24th governor of Maine from 1855 to 1856 and later as the U.S. representative from Maine's 4th congressional district from 1861 to 1863.
B ...
was a prominent U.S. statesman. After attending common school, Morrill taught at a local academy to earn money to go to college. At the age of 18, Morrill attended
Waterville College
Colby College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the ...
.
[ After briefly attending Waterville, Morrill served as principal of a private western New York college for a year. Morrill returned to Maine and studied law under Justice Fuller in ]Readfield
Readfield (/ˈɹid fild/) is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,597 at the 2020 census. Readfield is home to the Kents Hill School, a preparatory school, Maranacook Community Schools, public schools for the dis ...
.[ Morrill passed the bar in 1839, and built up a successful law practice. At this time Morrill began to associate with the Democratic Party and was popular speaker among his Democratic friends.][
]
State political career
Morrill entered politics as a speaker for early temperance movement
The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...
in Maine and other political movements. In 1841, having become locally famous, Morrill moved to Augusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Kennebec County.
The city's population was 18,899 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth-most populous city in Maine, and third-least populous state capital in the Un ...
where he spoke in front of Maine's capital legislative committees.[ As a speaker, Morrill gained much experience in state politics. Morrill started a law practice in Augusta; his partners were ]James W. Bradbury
James Ware Bradbury (June 10, 1802January 6, 1901) was a United States Senator from Maine.
Born in Parsonsfield, Maine, he attended the common schools and Gorham Academy. After graduating from Bowdoin College in 1825, he became principal of ...
and Richard D. Rice. In 1849, Morrill became chairman of Maine's Democratic Party and served in this position until 1856.[ As a Democrat, Morrill was elected to Maine's House of Repusentatives in 1854.][ Morrill began to break from his party's platform starting in 1855 eventually changing over to the ]Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
; having opposed Democratic concessions to slave states.[ During the Presidential election of 1856, Morrill believed ]James Buchanan
James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...
was a good candidate, however he stated the Democratic Party's platform was "a flagrant outrage upon the country and an insult to the North".[ Morrill's change of political views were shared by his brother, ]Anson P. Morrill
Anson Peaslee Morrill (June 10, 1803 – July 4, 1887) was an American politician who served as the 24th governor of Maine from 1855 to 1856 and later as the U.S. representative from Maine's 4th congressional district from 1861 to 1863.
B ...
, and his friend and future Vice President Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 15th vice president of the United States from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republican ...
.[ Morrill, completely severed ties with the Democratic Party and formally became a Republican in 1856.][ As a member of the ]Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
, Morrill was elected a Maine state senator in 1856, serving as Senate President
President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies.
The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...
. He was the first Republican to hold the position which would be held by Republicans until 1964, with one brief exception. He was elected Governor of Maine in 1858.[ (His brother ]Anson P. Morrill
Anson Peaslee Morrill (June 10, 1803 – July 4, 1887) was an American politician who served as the 24th governor of Maine from 1855 to 1856 and later as the U.S. representative from Maine's 4th congressional district from 1861 to 1863.
B ...
also served as Maine's governor.) Morrill served as Maine's governor until January 1861 when he was elected to the U.S. Senate to replace Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 15th vice president of the United States from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republican ...
, who had left his seat to become Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
's running mate.[
]
U.S. Senator
Civil War
Morrill came into the U.S. Senate at a pivotal moment in history before the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. In 1861, Sen. Morrill argued strongly against compromise on the principles of slavery (via Constitutional Amendments) in order to restore the peace.[Biographical encyclopedia of Maine of the nineteenth century (Boston: Metropolitan Pub. and Engraving Co., 1882)] In February 1861, Morrill attended the Peace Conference of 1861
The Peace Conference of 1861 was a meeting of 131 leading American politicians in February 1861, at the Willard's Hotel in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the American Civil War. The purpose of the conference was to avoid, if possible, the secess ...
and opposed John J. Crittenden's compromise arguments, similar to those made in the Crittenden Compromise
The Crittenden Compromise was an unsuccessful proposal to permanently enshrine slavery in the United States Constitution, and thereby make it unconstitutional for future congresses to end slavery. It was introduced by United States Senator Joh ...
.[ In March 1862, Morrill supported legislation that permitted the freedom of ]confiscated
Confiscation (from the Latin ''confiscatio'' "to consign to the ''fiscus'', i.e. transfer to the treasury") is a legal form of seizure by a government or other public authority. The word is also used, popularly, of spoliation under legal forms, o ...
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
slaves captured during the War. Morrill believed this would be an effective military weapon against the Southern rebellion.[ In April 1862, Morrill spoke in favor of a bill that passed Congress; signed into law by President ]Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
that freed slaves in Washington, D.C.[ By the end of the war, he argued against punishing the southern states for the rebellion, and in favor of higher education for people of all races.]
Reconstruction Era
During the Reconstruction Era
The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...
, Sen. Morrill forcefully advocated Congressional Reconstruction that authorized the U.S. military in Southern sections of the United States to protect African American citizens.[ In June 1866, Morrill supported ]suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...
for African Americans in Washington D.C. In 1868, Morrill voted for the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...
; the other Senator from Maine, William P. Fessenden
William Pitt Fessenden (October 16, 1806September 8, 1869) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Maine. Fessenden was a Whig (later a Republican) and member of the Fessenden political family. He served in the United States House o ...
, voted for Johnson's acquittal.[ In 1869, Morrill was defeated by his rival ]Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 15th vice president of the United States from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republican ...
to the office of U.S. Senator from Maine by one vote. However, after Sen. Fessenden died in office in 1869, Morrill was appointed to replace Fessenden to serve out Fessenden's expired term. Morrill was elected to finish the term in 1871 and served until he was appointed Secretary of the Treasury in 1876 by President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
.[
]
Committees served
In the Senate he was the first chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
The United States Senate Committee on Appropriations is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over all discretionary spending legislation in the Senate.
The Senate Appropriations Committee is the largest committe ...
. He was also chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expense ( 38th and 39th Congress
The 39th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1865, ...
es), U.S. Senate Committee on the District of Columbia (39th Congress), the Committee on Appropriations ( 40th, 41st, 43rd and 44th Congress
The 44th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1875, ...
es) and the U.S. Senate Committee on the Library ( 41st and 42nd Congress
The 42nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1871, ...
es).
Secretary of the Treasury
Morrill was appointed Treasury Secretary by President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
; having served from 1876 to 1877 and for five days under President Rutherford B. Hayes. His appointment was in part due to the resignation of previous reformer Sec. Benjamin Bristow who successfully prosecuted and shut down the notorious Whiskey Ring scandal. Bristow resigned due to friction between himself and President Grant over Bristow's zealous reforming in the Treasury Department and potential Presidential run in 1876. Sec. Morrill, upon his assumption to office, was in charge of all the top secret and confidential files left over during Bristow's Whiskey Ring prosecutions. Although Sec. Morrill did not have the reputation of a financial authority, he was believed to have political integrity and it was thought he would run the department as well as George S. Boutwell
George Sewall Boutwell (January 28, 1818 – February 27, 1905) was an American politician, lawyer, and statesman from Massachusetts. He served as Secretary of the Treasury under U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, the 20th Governor of Massachuse ...
, Grant's first Treasury Secretary.[ Morrill upon his appointment submission by President Grant was immediately approved by the Senate without question.][New York Times (June 22, 1876), ''Secretary of the Treasury''] Morrill's appointment was popularly received by the press and Wall Street
Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
.[ Morrill's resignation from the Senate caused a vacancy which Gov. Seldon Connor filled by appointing Morrill's rival ]James G. Blaine
James Gillespie Blaine (January 31, 1830January 27, 1893) was an American statesman and Republican politician who represented Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863 to 1876, serving as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative ...
as Maine's Senator.
Currency redemption debate
During Morrill's tenure as Treasury Secretary, debate continued over the return to currency that could be redeemed for gold versus continuing to issue inflationary greenback paper currency. Like his predecessor Bristow, Morrill advocated for the gold standard, having viewed paper money as "irredeemable and inconvertible" and "essentially repugnant to the principles of the Constitution".[U.S. Dept. of the Treasury, ''Lot M. Morrill (1876–1877)''] Paper money, however, was popular in the South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
and West
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...
, where cheap capital was seen as necessary for economic expansion.[ Since the ]Specie Payment Resumption Act The Specie Payment Resumption Act of January 14, 1875 was a law in the United States that restored the nation to the gold standard through the redemption of previously-unbacked United States Notes and reversed inflationary government policies promo ...
of 1875 required the Treasury Department to pay gold specie in exchange for greenbacks starting in 1879, Morrill advised Congress to increase the government's gold supply leading up to that date.[
]
Later career
Following his term in the Grant Administration, he returned to Maine and became Collector of Customs for the Port of Portland, Maine.
Death
He died in 1883 in Augusta, Maine
Augusta is the capital of the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Kennebec County.
The city's population was 18,899 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth-most populous city in Maine, and third-least populous state capital in the Un ...
, leaving his wife Charlotte and four daughters. He was interred at Forest Grove Cemetery in that city. His Augusta home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
Famous quotes by Senator Morrill
Speech in Congress, February 1, 1866:
"I admit that this species of legislation Civil Rights Act of 1866
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 (, enacted April 9, 1866, reenacted 1870) was the first United States federal law to define citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by the law. It was mainly intended, in the wake of the Amer ...
is absolutely revolutionary. But are we not in the midst of a revolution? Is the Senator from Kentucky utterly oblivious to the grand results of four years of war? Are we not in the midst of a civil and political revolution which has changed the fundamental principles of our government in some respects? ... There was a civilization based on servitude.... Where is that? ... Gone forever.... We have revolutionized this Constitution of ours to that extent and every substantial change in the fundamental constitution of a country is a revolution.
Other
The revenue cutter was named for him.
Notes
References
*
Treasury biography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrill, Lot
1813 births
1883 deaths
19th-century American politicians
American people of English descent
Governors of Maine
Maine state senators
Members of the Maine House of Representatives
United States Secretaries of the Treasury
People of Maine in the American Civil War
People from Belgrade, Maine
Union (American Civil War) political leaders
Colby College alumni
Maine Republicans
Members of the Universalist Church of America
Republican Party United States senators from Maine
19th-century Christian universalists
Grant administration cabinet members
Maine Democrats
American temperance activists
Republican Party governors of Maine
People from Readfield, Maine
Collectors of the Port of Portland (Maine)