The man that founded Arbor Day, Julius Sterling Morton, was born on April 22, 1832, in Adams, New York. His family later moved to Michigan, where he attended college. In 1854, Morton and his wife moved to Nebraska, which was not yet a territory. Staking a claim in Nebraska City, he soon took a job as editor of the local paper, the Nebraska City News. During this time he also briefly served in the Nebraska Territorial House of Representatives. In 1858, Morton was made Secretary of the Nebraska Territory by President James Buchanan and later the Acting Governor.