Whereas Oliver Hazard Perry Morton (referred to in this preamble as Morton ) was born in Wayne County, Indiana, on August 4, 1823; Whereas 2023 is the 200th anniversary of Morton’s birth; Whereas Morton attended Miami University in Ohio and studied law both in Centerville, Indiana, and in law school at what is known today as the University of Cincinnati; Whereas, in 1852, Morton was chosen to serve on the bench of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court of Indiana; Whereas Morton was elected lieutenant governor of Indiana on the ticket with Henry S. Lane and became governor in 1861 when Lane was elected to the Senate; Whereas Morton was the first native born Hoosier to be elected Governor of Indiana; Whereas Morton served as Governor of Indiana for 6 years between 1861 and 1867 and was a loyal supporter of the Union’s efforts during the Civil War; Whereas the Civil War started during Morton's tenure as governor, and Morton responded to President Abraham Lincoln’s call for troops by providing 6,000 men; Whereas, when the Indiana legislature neglected to grant funding for the war effort, Morton personally raised money to equip and pay the soldiers; Whereas Morton was re-elected as governor in 1864 and served until 1867, when he was elected to the Senate; Whereas Morton was a Senator from 1867 to 1877; Whereas Morton unsuccessfully ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1876; Whereas the Oliver P. Morton House in Centerville, Indiana, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and is named in Morton's honor; Whereas there are statues of Morton on the steps of the Indiana Statehouse entrance and at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Indianapolis, Indiana; Whereas Morton is 1 of Indiana’s 2 assigned statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol; and Whereas Morton died on November 1, 1877, and is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana; Now, therefore, be it