Rogers Morton was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 19, 1914, and received a B.A. from Yale University in 1937. Morton served in the U.S. Army in World War II, eventually becoming a captain. He worked at Ballard and Ballard Company (1939-1951), serving as president from 1947 to 1951. Later, Morton became involved in politics, serving as U.S. congressional representative for the state of Maryland from 1963 to 1971.

From 1969 to 1971, he was chairman of the Republican National Committee, and he entered the Nixon administration as secretary of the interior, serving in that post from 1971 to 1975. Morton would also chairman of the Energy Resources Council (1974-1975) and secretary of commerce, serving in the cabinet of President Gerald R. Ford from 1975 to 1976. He also became a cabinet rank counselor to President Ford on economic and domestic matters in 1976. Morton died on April 19, 1979.