Early Life and Education
Azie Taylor Morton overcame challenging circumstances from the start of her life. She was born in 1936 in the small Texas town of Dale to a mother who was deaf and could not speak. She did not know her father and worked in cotton fields from a young age.
Despite the lack of a high school for African Americans in Dale, Morton attended and graduated at the top of her class from the Texas Blind, Deaf and Orphan School. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree with honors in commercial education from Huston-Tillotson University in 1956.
Though Morton applied to graduate school at the University of Texas, she was denied admission due to inadequate undergraduate courses under the state’s racist segregation policies at the time.
Early Career and Government Service
After being denied graduate admission, Morton worked as a teacher and later for the Texas AFL-CIO headquarters. Her work with the labor union brought her to the attention of President Kennedy’s administration.
In 1961, Morton joined the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity in Washington D.C. This began her 20-year career serving under various government committees and agencies.
During this time, she also got married in 1965 to James Homer Morton, with whom she later had two daughters.
Becoming the First Black U.S. Treasurer
In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Azie Taylor Morton as the 36th Treasurer of the United States. She was the first and only African American to hold this position.
As Treasurer from 1977-1981, Morton’s signature appeared on U.S. currency. She oversaw critical departments like the Mint and reported directly to the Secretary of the Treasury.
Morton also represented the U.S. internationally in roles like the Enthronement of Pope John Paul II in 1978.
Legacy and Death
After her trailblazing accomplishment as Treasurer, Morton continued her public service on boards and councils, in business roles, and as a mentor in her Texas community.
To honor her legacy, the Austin Housing Authority established a scholarship fund in her name at her alma mater after her death in 2003.
Azie Taylor Morton made history through hard work and perseverance despite the challenges life put in her path. As she once said, “You have to earn your success and put forth maximum effort to achieve it.”
