Anna Morton
Anna Morton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Second Lady of the United States | |
| In role March 4, 1889 – March 4, 1893 | |
| Vice President | Levi P. Morton |
| Preceded by | Eliza Hendricks |
| Succeeded by | Letitia Stevenson |
| First Lady of New York | |
| In role January 1, 1895 – December 31, 1896 | |
| Governor | Levi P. Morton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Anna Livingston Reade Street May 18, 1846 Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 14, 1918 (aged 72) Rhinecliff, New York, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 6 |
| Relatives | Randall S. Street (grandfather) |
Anna Livingston Reade Morton (née Street; May 18, 1846 – August 14, 1918) was the second wife of United States Vice President Levi P. Morton and the second lady of the United States from 1889 to 1893. She was known as Anna Street Morton.
Early life
[edit]Anna Livingston Reade Street was born on May 18, 1846, in Poughkeepsie, New York, the daughter of William Ingram Street (died 1863) and Susan Watts (née Kearney) Street (1819–1893).
Her paternal grandfather was Randall S. Street, a lawyer and member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Her uncle was Alfred Billings Street, a lawyer and prominent poet. Her maternal grandparents were Ann (née Reade) Kearney and Robert Kearney. Through her grandmother Ann, the daughter of Catherine Livingston and John Reade, she was a descendant of Robert Livingston the Elder, 1st Lord of Livingston Manor.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]After they married, her husband became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1879, serving until 1881 when he was appointed the United States Minister to France by President James A. Garfield in 1881. Morton was U.S. Minister until May 14, 1885, and Anna was noted for as a highly cultivated French scholar.
During her husband's term as Vice President of the United States under President Benjamin Harrison, she was Second Lady of the United States from 1889 to 1893 and often handled entertaining duties for the administration due to First Lady Caroline Harrison's illness and ultimate death. During this time, the Mortons lived on Scott Circle in Washington, D.C., and Mrs. Morton "became the leader of society in Washington, and there was never a more brilliant and popular leader than she. It was her innate graciousness, her innate tact, and her kindness of heart . . . which won her admiration and respect of all".[1]
After the Mortons left Washington, Levi became the Governor of New York and Anna served as the First Lady of New York from 1895 to 1896.
Personal life
[edit]In 1873, Anna was married to Levi Parsons Morton (1824–1920), just two years after the death of his first wife, Lucy Young Kimball, in 1871. Together, Anna and Levi had five daughters and a son together. A son, Lewis died at the age of four months in London, and daughters Lena and Alice predeceased their mother.
- Edith Livingston Morton (1874–1964), who married William Corcoran Eustis (1862–1921), son of George Eustis, Jr.[2][3]
- Lena Kearney Morton (1875–1905)
- Helen Stuyvesant Morton (1876–1952), who married Paul Louis Marie Archambaud, Boson de Talleyrand-Périgord (1867–1952), a son of the Charles Guillaume Frédéric, Boson de Talleyrand-Périgord, Prince de Sagan.
- Lewis Parsons Morton (1877–1878), who died young.
- Alice Morton (1879–1917),[4][5] who married Winthrop Chanler Rutherfurd (1862–1944),[6][7] son of Lewis Morris Rutherfurd.[8]
- Mary Morton (1881–1932), who adopted two children, Lewis Peter Morton and Mirian Morton.[9]
She died at her home, "Ellerslie" in Rhinebeck, New York, on August 14, 1918, at the age of 72.[10]
Philanthropy
[edit]In December 1904, the Mortons anonymously gave $600,000 to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. In January 1905, The New York Times revealed that the Mortons were the givers, including funds for the purchase of an organ in memory of their daughter Lena who died in Paris the June previous.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "U.S. Senate: Levi Parsons Morton, 22nd Vice President (1889-1893)". www.senate.gov. U.S. Senate. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ "Wm. Corcoran Eustis Dies. Former Diplomat was Captain on Gen. Pershing's staff". The New York Times. November 25, 1921.
- ^ "W. C. Eustis Dies On New York Trip. Succumbs to Recurrence of Pneumonia He Contracted During War Service. Funeral Arrangements Incomplete. Was Long Prominent in National Capital Affairs. Family and Friends at Bedside. Funeral Plans Not Completed". The Washington Post. November 25, 1921. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011.
Capt. William Corcoran Eustis, of Washington, D. C., personal secretary to Gen. John J. Pershing during the war, died tonight following the recurrence of an attack of pneumonia contracted in France. He was 60 [sic] years old.
- ^ "Mrs. Winthrop Rutherfurd". The New York Times. 21 June 1917. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
- ^ "ENGAGEMENT OF MISS ALICE MORTON.; To Marry Winthrop Rutherfurd, One of the Best-Known Men in Society, an Adept at Out-Door Sports, and Wealthy". The New York Times. 13 January 1902. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
- ^ Persico 2008, p. 138.
- ^ "Artifacts of the Month -- June, 2017". www.rutherfurdhall.org. Rutherfurd Hall. Archived from the original on 19 September 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
- ^ "W. RUTHERFURD, 82, LEADER IN SOCIETY; Sportsman, Member of Noted Family, Dies Was Owner of Famous Terrier Kennels". The New York Times. 21 March 1944. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
- ^ "MISS MARY MORTON". The New York Times. 23 April 1932. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ "Mrs. Levi P. Morton Dies At Home in Rhinecliff, N.Y.", Boston Daily Globe, Thursday, August 15, 1918, Boston, Massachusetts, United States Of America.
- ^ "LEVI P. MORTON GAVE $600,000 TO CATHEDRAL; Wife Shared in Anonymous Gift to St. John's. COL. ASTOR GAVE $100,000 Trustees Regard Donation as Marking an Epoch and Now Hope for Structure's Speedy Completion". The New York Times. January 11, 1905. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
Sources
[edit]- Persico, Joseph E. (2008). Franklin & Lucy: President Roosevelt, Mrs. Rutherfurd, and the Other Remarkable Women in His Life. Random House. ISBN 9781400064427.
External links
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