Elizabeth Alexandra Morton

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Elizabeth Alexandra Morton
A young white woman wearing a large plumed hat, a white dress, and a fur stole.
Elizabeth Alexandra Morton, from a photograph published in 1904.
BornAugust 19, 1883
DiedJanuary 15, 1964
Southampton, New York, USA
Other namesElizabeth Morton Breese, Elizabeth Breese Tilton, Betty Morton
OccupationPhilanthropist
Known forElizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge
RelativesFrederic W. Tilton (father-in-law after 1921)

Elizabeth Alexandra Morton Breese Tilton (August 19, 1883 – January 15, 1964) was an American philanthropist, based on Long Island, New York. The Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge is named for her.

Early life[]

Elizabeth Alexandra "Betty" Morton was born in 1883, the daughter of Alexander Logan Morton and Mary E. Barber Morton.[1] Her father was a West Point graduate from Virginia, who became a lawyer in New York and founder of the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island.[2]

Career[]

After her second divorce, Morton resumed her birth name, moved into her parents' property, and donated almost two hundred acres on Long Island to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the mid-1950s.[3][4] The Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge is named for her,[5] and was the first national wildlife refuge named for a woman (the three others are named for Rachel Carson, Elizabeth S. Hartwell, and Julia Butler Hansen).[6] She donated additional land to the Nature Conservancy in 1957, which became part of the Wolf Swamp Reserve.[7]

Personal life[]

Morton married twice. Her first husband was Sidney Salisbury Breese, son of James L. Breese; they married in 1907[8][9] and divorced in 1919.[10] Her second husband was businessman Newell Whiting Tilton, son of educator Frederic W. Tilton; they married in 1921,[11] and later divorced.[12] Elizabeth Alexandra Morton died in 1964, aged 80 years, in Southampton.

References[]

  1. ^ "Sidney Breese Married Today". The Oregon Daily Journal. 1907-07-20. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-01-28 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "Miss Elizabeth A. Morton". The Times Dispatch. 1904-06-19. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ Starin, Dennis (1975-05-18). "Cycle of Life Is Maintained at Morton Refuge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-27.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "New Grants of Land Enlarge Elizabeth Morton Wildlife Refuge" press release, Department of the Interior (June 5, 1956).
  5. ^ "Elizabeth A. Morton National Wildlife Refuge". - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2021-01-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "Are any wildlife refuges named for women?". National Wildlife Refuge System, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2021-01-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Naylor, Natalie A. (2016). "Long Island Women Preserving Nature and the Environment". Long Island History Journal. Retrieved 2021-01-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Breese and Phelps Weddings". The Washington Times. 1907-06-30. p. 31. Retrieved 2021-01-27 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Mr. Sidney S. Breese to Wed Miss Morton on July 20". Wilkes-Barre Times. 1907-06-28. p. 6. Retrieved 2021-01-28 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ "Another Surprising Romance in the Breese Family". Buffalo Courier. 1921-06-05. p. 69. Retrieved 2021-01-28 – via Newspapers.com.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ "Sydney Breese to Wed Red Cross Worker; Engineer, 37, Will Marry Miss Paula A. Matsner, 26, in Ethical Culture Rooms Today". The New York Times. 1921-05-18. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-27.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ "NEWELL W. TILTON, 84, INVESTMENT BANKER". The New York Times. 1963-06-28. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-27.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links[]

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