Lot M. Morrill

Lot M. Morrill, born on May third, eighteen thirteen, was a prominent American politician and lawyer who made significant contributions to the state of Maine and the nation. A native of Maine, he received a public school education and briefly attended Waterville College before becoming the principal of a private school in New York. His legal career began after he studied law and passed the bar in eighteen thirty-nine, establishing practices in Readfield and Augusta.

Morrill's political journey began in the Maine House of Representatives in eighteen fifty-four as a Democrat, where he served as chairman of the Maine Democratic Party. However, as the national debate over slavery intensified, he switched his allegiance to the Republican Party, motivated by their opposition to the expansion of slavery. This shift led to his election to the Maine Senate in eighteen fifty-six and subsequently to the governorship of Maine in eighteen fifty-eight.

With the onset of the American Civil War in eighteen sixty-one, Morrill was elected to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Hannibal Hamlin. His nearly fifteen-year tenure in the Senate was marked by significant legislative achievements, including sponsoring the law that abolished slavery in Washington, D.C., and advocating for education and suffrage for African American freedmen.

In eighteen seventy-six, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Morrill as the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, a position he held until eighteen seventy-seven. Known for his advocacy of the gold standard, he was well-received by the press and Wall Street for his financial integrity and commitment to the public good. After leaving the Treasury, he served as the collector of customs in Portland, Maine, until his death in eighteen eighty-three.