A Washington D.C. teacher of women’s studies challenged us to obtain some "inside" information about Azie Taylor Morton, the first African American U.S. Treasurer, who is often overlooked among black history people.
Here’s the scoop, direct from the public papers of President Jimmy Carter…
In 1977, President Carter nominated Azie T. Morton, (1936 – 2003), of Annandale, Virginia, to be Treasurer of the United States. Ms. Morton was a staff assistant to the U.S. House District Committee.
She was born February 1, 1936, in Dale, Texas, and received a B.S. from Huston-Tillotson College in 1956.
From 1958 to 1961, Morton was an administrative assistant at the Texas State AFL-CIO, in Austin. She served as an administrative assistant and community relations specialist for the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity and the President's Committee on Equal Opportunity in Housing from 1961 to 1966.
From 1966 to 1968, Morton was a complaint investigator and conciliator for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She was director of social services for the Wichita, Kansas, Model Cities Program from 1968 to 1971.
Morton was special assistant to the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1971 until 1977, when she went to work for the House District Committee.
In 1974 she was vice chairperson of the Arrangement Committee and deputy conference manager for the 1974 Democratic Conference on Party Organization in Kansas City.
She was a deputy convention manager for the 1976 Democratic National Convention. In 1975 and 1976, she served on the DNC's Compliance Review Commission.
A great career of public service from a pioneer, Azie Taylor Morton.