Morse, Allen Benton, 1839-1921.

Michigan Supreme Court Justice and U.S. Consul.

Allen Benton Morse was born January 7, 1839, in Otisco, Ionia County, Michigan. His parents were Jon L. and Susan (Cowles) Morse. Morse attended Michigan Agricultural College (now Michigan State University) from 1857-1859. In 1861, he enlisted as a sergeant in Company B, 16th Michigan Infantry. On December 16, 1862, he was commissioned a 1st lieutenant and transferred to Company I, 21st Michigan Infantry. On February 3, 1863, he was promoted to Adjutant General. He lost his left arm at Missionary Ridge, Tennessee on November 25, 1863, and was honorably discharged on Sept. 1, 1864. He was admitted to the Michigan Bar on February 28, 1865 and practiced law in Ionia County for the next 20 years. He married Frances Marion Van Allen on November 25, 1874, she died October 29, 1884. Morse married Ann Babcock in 1888. Morse served as Ionia County prosecutor from 1867-1871. He was elected to the State Senate in 1875 and as mayor of Ionia in 1882. In 1885, he was appointed to the Michigan State Supreme Court, where he served until 1893, when he was appointed by President Cleveland as the Consul in Scotland. Morse unsuccessfully ran for governor of Michigan in 1892 and State House of Representatives in 1906. He died in Ionia on July 1, 1921.