Anna Livingston Reade Morton ( Street; May 18, 1846 – August 14, 1918) was the second wife of

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Levi P. Morton Levi Parsons Morton (May 16, 1824 – May 16, 1920) was the 22nd vice president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He also served as List of ambassadors of the United States to France, United States ambassador to France, as a United States H ...

and the

second lady of the United States The second lady of the United States or second gentleman (SLOTUS or SGOTUS) is the informal title held by the spouse of the vice president of the United States, concurrent with the vice president's term of office. Coined in contrast to " first la ...

from 1889 to 1893. She was known as Anna Street Morton.

Early life

Anna Livingston Reade Street was born on May 18, 1846, in

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Town of Poughkeepsie, New York (state), New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie i ...

, the daughter of William Ingram Street (died 1863) and Susan Watts ( Kearney) Street (1819–1893). Her paternal grandfather was Randall S. Street, a lawyer and member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

. 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 Robert Livingston the Elder (13 December 1654 – 1728) was a Scottish-born merchant and government official in the Province of New York. He was granted a patent to 160,000 acres (650 km2/ 250 sq mi) of land along the Hudson River, becomin ...

, 1st Lord of

Livingston Manor Livingston Manor was a tract of land in the Province of New York granted to Robert Livingston the Elder during the reign of George I of Great Britain. Located between the Hudson River and the Massachusetts border, the Livingston Manor was locate ...

Career

After they married, her husband became a member of the

in 1879, serving until 1881 when he was appointed the

United States Minister to France The United States ambassador to France is the official representative of the president of the United States to the president of France. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with France since the American Revolution. Relations w ...

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 The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

under President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

, she was

Second Lady of the United States The second lady of the United States or second gentleman (SLOTUS or SGOTUS) is the informal title held by the spouse of the vice president of the United States, concurrent with the vice president's term of office. Coined in contrast to " first la ...

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. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, 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". 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

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. * 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), who married Winthrop Chanler Rutherfurd (1862–1944), son of Lewis Morris Rutherfurd. * Mary Morton (1881–1932), who adopted two children, Lewis Peter Morton and Mirian Morton. She died at her home, "Ellerslie" in

Rhinebeck, New York Rhinebeck is a village (New York), village in the Rhinebeck (town), New York, town of Rhinebeck in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 2,657 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie–Newburgh metr ...

, on August 14, 1918, at the age of 72."Mrs. Levi P. Morton Dies At Home in Rhinecliff, N.Y.", ''Boston Daily Globe'', Thursday, August 15, 1918, Boston, Massachusetts, United States Of America.

Philanthropy

In December 1904, the Mortons anonymously gave $600,000 to the

Cathedral of St. John the Divine The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (sometimes referred to as St. John's and also nicknamed St. John the Unfinished) is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhoo ...

in New York City. In January 1905, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' 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.

References

Sources

External links

Descendants of Robert Livingston, 1st Lord of Livingston Manor and Alida Schuyler
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Morton, Anna 1846 births 1918 deaths Second ladies and gentlemen of the United States First ladies and gentlemen of New York (state) Morton family (United States) Livingston family Schuyler family