Rogers C. B. Morton

Source: Department of Commerce Biographical Sketch

Rogers C.B. Morton was named Secretary of Commerce by President Ford on March 27, 1975. The U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination on April 25 and he was sworn in by President Ford in a special ceremony in the Department of Commerce on May 1, 1975.

Morton, who served as Secretary of the Interior since January 29, 1971, succeeds Frederick B. Dent, who is now the President's Special Representative for Trade Negotiations.

Since October 8, 1974, Secretary Morton has served as Chairman of the Energy Resources Council, a responsibility he will retain as Secretary of Commerce. The Council is charged with developing a national energy program and policies designed to make America less dependent on foreign fuel and mineral supplies.

Prior to assuming a Cabinet position, Secretary Morton was Chairman of the Republican National Committee, serving from April 1969. He was elected to the 88th Congress from Maryland's First District, which takes in the Eastern Shore and Chesapeake Bay area, in 1962, and was reelected to four successive terms through the 92nd Congress.

In Congress, Morton was a member of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, the Select Committee on Small Business, and the Committee on Ways and Means.

Before being elected to Congress, Morton was with Ballard and Ballard Company, a family business in Louisville, Kentucky, from 1939 to 1951, serving as President from 1947 to 1951. When the firm merged with the Pillsbury Company, he was Vice-president from 1951 to 1953, and a Director from 1953 until 1971.

Born in Louisville September 19, 1914, Secretary Morton received a B.A., degree from Yale University in 1937. He served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1945, entering as a private in the field artillery. He served in the European Theater during World War II, and attained the rank of Captain.

Morton is married to the former Anne Jones. They have a son, David C, Morton, an architect, and a daughter, Mrs, Anne Morton McCance.

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Last Updated: Tuesday, July 14, 1998