J. STERLING MORTON, 1832-1902

J. Sterling Morton was a newspaper editor, a legislator, acting governor of Nebraska Territory, and the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1893 to 1897. He is best known for founding Arbor Day in 1872. He spent much of his life promoting conservation practices and encouraging people to plant trees. His home, Arbor Lodge, is in Nebraska City, Nebraska, and is open to the public.