Born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Jim Morton attended Yale University after serving  in WWII. His first job was as an actuarial student at John Hancock Life Insurance Company. 

Forty-two years later, he retired as CEO and Chairman of the Board.  

In retirement, he served on the Board of Trustees of Gettysburg College and collected maps. 

He was an avid reader of American history, and was especially interested in the Civil War. Jim was reading and discussing the Civil War and world affairs until his death at the age of 98 in 2025.

Friends of Jim Morton founded this award as a tribute to him and are grateful to the Civil War Institute, at Gettysburg College, for welcoming this opportunity to encourage Civil War historians to use original cartography.