Morton, Rogers Clark Ballard (1914-1979), held three Cabinet-level offices under Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford. Morton served as secretary of the interior from 1971 until 1975. He served as secretary of commerce in 1975 and 1976. In 1976 and 1977, he was counselor to the president for domestic and economic matters, a Cabinet-level post. From 1974 to 1976, Morton headed the Energy Resources Council, which was formed to prepare a national energy policy.
As secretary of the interior, Morton worked to expand oil exploration in offshore areas of the United States. He encouraged the development of new energy sources. He also reorganized the Bureau of Indian Affairs to give more self-government to Indians living on federal reservations.
Morton was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and graduated from Yale University in 1937. He moved to Maryland in 1953 and represented that state as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1963 to 1971. Morton was chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1969 to 1971.
