Editing Levi P. Morton (section)

===Member of Congress===
[[File:Levi Morton - Brady-Handy portrait - standard crop.jpg|thumb|Brady-Handy photo, circa 1876]]
Identified with the [[Stalwart (politics)|Stalwart]] faction of [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] led by [[Roscoe Conkling]], in 1878 Morton was elected to represent [[Manhattan]] in the [[46th United States Congress|46th Congress]].<ref name="Red_Book"/>  He was reelected to the [[47th United States Congress|47th Congress]] in 1880, and served from March 4, 1879, until his resignation on March 21, 1881.<ref name="Red_Book"/> During Morton's House tenure, he served as a member of the [[United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs|Foreign Relations Committee]].<ref name=Miller_Center>{{cite web |url=https://millercenter.org/president/bharrison/essays/morton-1889-vicepresident |last=Miller Center: U.S. Presidents |title= Levi P. Morton |date=2019 |website=US Presidents: Benjamin Harrison |publisher=University of Virginia |location=Charlottesville, Virginia |access-date=May 18, 2020}}</ref> On the currency issue, which dominated discussions of [[Economic history of the United States|U.S. economic policy]] for several decades, Morton consistently advocated for the [[gold standard]].<ref name=Miller_Center/>

The [[1880 Republican National Convention]] was dominated by "[[Half-Breeds (politics)|Half-Breed]]" supporters of [[James G. Blaine]] and Stalwart supporters of [[Ulysses S. Grant]] for the presidential nomination.<ref name=Doenecke>{{cite web |url=https://millercenter.org/president/garfield/campaigns-and-elections |title=Campaigns and Elections |last=Doenecke |first=Justus |date=2019 |website=U.S. Presidents: James A. Garfield |publisher=University of Virginia |location=Charlottesville, Virginia |access-date=May 18, 2020}}</ref>  [[James A. Garfield]], who was not affiliated with either faction, but was a friend of Blaine, won the nomination<ref name="Doenecke"/> and attempted to win over Stalwarts by asking Morton to be his vice presidential running mate.<ref name=Miller_Center/>  Conkling, who had managed Grant's campaign, advised Morton to decline, which Morton did.<ref name="Miller_Center"/> Garfield's supporters then turned to [[Chester A. Arthur]], a fellow Stalwart and close Conkling friend.<ref name="Doenecke"/> Conkling also advised Arthur to decline, but Arthur accepted; Garfield and he were narrowly elected over their Democratic opponents.<ref name="Doenecke"/>