Editing Levi P. Morton (section)

===Governor of New York (1895–1896)===
[[File:LMorton.png|thumb|right|Gubernatorial portrait of Levi P. Morton]]
In 1894, Morton was elected governor of New York, defeating Democratic nominee [[David B. Hill]] and several minor party candidates.<ref name="Red_Book"/>  He served one two-year term, January 1, 1895, to December 31, 1896.<ref name="LPMbioguide"/> One initiative in which Morton was involved as governor was the consolidation of several New York City-area municipalities as the [[City of Greater New York]], which took effect on January 1, 1898.<ref name="Miller_Center"/>

Another Morton priority was [[Civil service reform in the United States|civil service reform]].<ref name="SenateHistorian"/> Morton pursued a moderate course on the issue, but remained firm in his support, which placed him in opposition to political party bosses who favored the [[spoils system]].<ref name="SenateHistorian"/> As a result, in 1896 the Republican Party nominated [[Frank S. Black]], who was perceived as closer to the party bosses than Morton.<ref name="SenateHistorian"/>

Morton was a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination [[1896 Republican National Convention|in 1896]], but the delegates chose [[William McKinley]].<ref name=Miller_Center/> Morton was then considered for the vice presidential nomination, but McKinley's campaign manager, [[Mark Hanna]], was opposed, and the nomination went to [[Garret Hobart]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Rothbard |first=Murray N. |date=2017 |title=The Progressive Era |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w7M4DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT213 |location=Auburn, Ala. |publisher=Mises Institute |page=213 |isbn=978-1-61016-677-5 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> After he completed his term as governor, Morton returned to his business career and management of his investments.<ref name="LPMbioguide"/>