John Boit MORSE

John Boit Morse was more compelled to paint than to manage the powerful empire he stood to inherit from his famous father Samuel Morse, nicknamed "The Duke of Del Monte." As the developer of the Pebble Beach golf course in California, the senior Morse had amassed enormous wealth and power.

John Morse was a graduate of Yale University, a semi-professional hockey player, a World War II veteran, a Madison Avenue advertising executive, and briefly served as president of Del Monte Properties before leaving it all behind to become a full-time artist in 1953.

He went on to create modern, abstract paintings that embody the vibrant landscape and the atmosphere of the American West. In addition to his artistic career, he was a prominent philanthropist in the Monterey Bay area.

The John Boit Morse Memorial Fellowship at Yale supports independent research in fine art to this day in his memory.