Henry Edgar Morton
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Henry Edgar Morton | |
|---|---|
 Morton, pictured in The Melbourne Punch, 1898. | |
| Commissioner of the City of Sydney | |
| In office 3 January 1928 – 30 June 1930 | |
| Preceded by | John Harold Mostyn (Lord Mayor) |
| Succeeded by | Ernest Marks (Lord Mayor) |
| Councillor of the City of Melbourne for Batman Ward | |
| In office 24 August 1939 – 28 August 1952 | |
| Preceded by | Raynes Dickson |
| Succeeded by | Maurice Arnold Nathan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1872 |
| Died | 12 October 1952 (aged 79–80) |
| Resting place | Springvale Crematorium |
| Other political affiliations | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Edith Caroline Bond (b.1875–m.1898–d.1940) |
Henry Edgar Morton (1872 – 12 October 1952), was an Australian civil engineer, town planner, architect, surveyor and public servant. He was an appointed Commissioner of the City of Sydney (1928–1930) and a Councillor of the City of Melbourne (1939–1952).
Henry Edgar Morton was born in 1872 in Melbourne, Colony of Victoria, to Leonora Callanan and William Charles Morton.
City surveyor and engineer
On 10 June 1907, the Melbourne City Council appointed Morton, then serving as the assistant building surveyor, to the new position of City Architect, with the role of supervising all Melbourne Corporation construction projects.[1][2]
In October 1915, when the City Surveyor, A. C. Mountain, retired, the Melbourne City Council approved the abolition of the positions of City Architect and City Surveyor, and their amalgamation into the single position of City Engineer and Building Surveyor, with Morton as the appointee.[3][4] A major achievement as Morton's long tenure as City Engineer was his campaign to spend £5,000,000 to surface streets with wood-blocks to help end dust nuisance.[5] Morton supervised all significant building projects of the Melbourne City Council including the administration buildings of the Melbourne Town Hall (1909) and the Grand Stand of the Arden Street Oval (1928).
On 27 March 1923, Morton was appointed to serve as a Member of the Board of the Metropolitan Town Planning Commission, and in this role advised the Victorian state government on the future planning and development of metropolitan Melbourne. The Commission produced the foundational town planning document, the Plan of General Development, in 1929.[6]