The Hanover Businessman Who Became Vice President of the U.S.
Levi Parsons Morton was born in Shoreham, Vermont in 1824. His father was a minister and could not afford to give his children an education beyond grammar school, so Morton’s formal education ended when he was fourteen years old. Levi was keen to become a businessman and started out working in a general store in Concord, New Hampshire. Before long the store’s owner set Levi up in a branch store in Hanover.
The Hanover store sold anything and everything. Morton drew crowds with his practice of advertising, posting huge markdowns on goods every Saturday. Shoppers often left spending more than they intended.
In general the more highly educated residents of Hanover did not seek friendship with Levi Morton, but Edwin Sanborn, a professor of Latin and of English Literature at the college, recognized him as an interesting and enterprising young man and befriended him. Morton was a regular visitor to Sanborn’s home, and he eventually gained a place in local society.
After a few years Levi Morton joined a business in Boston and then in New York. He began to accrue a fortune through his investments and became a civic leader. He was a founder of the Metropolitan Opera and served as a Trustee of the American Museum of Natural History. An active member of the Republican Party, Morton was made a Minister to France in 1881. He later served as Vice President to Benjamin Harrison and was elected Governor of New York in 1889.
Dartmouth College awarded Morton an honorary degree in 1881. A few years later the college president asked Morton to purchase a property opposite the northeast corner of the green which the college coveted but could not afford. Morton was happy to help and donated the property to the college. Webster Hall now stands on that parcel.
In 1885 Morton’s old friend, Edwin Sanborn, was forced to retire from the faculty due to ill health. He had never been paid enough to be able to set money aside for his retirement and was facing poverty. Recognizing this, Morton and several others set up a fund to support him throughout his remaining years.
Sanborn’s daughter Kate wrote about Morton’s years in Hanover in her book Memories and Anecdotes. It is not clear whether she knew of the financial help Levi Morton had given her father. However, she included one tale from Morton’s later life, when he lived in New York. The point of that tale was to pay homage to a man who was noted for always repaying his debts.