George H. Morse (January 3, 1839 – March 4, 1905) was businessman and local government official in Burlington, Vermont. A Republican, he served as mayor of Burlington from 1883 to 1885.

George Henry Morse was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 3, 1839, a son of Aaron Morse Jr. and Eliza (Bradley) Morse.^[1] He was educated in the public schools of Boston and the academy in Northfield, Massachusetts, from which he graduated in 1859.^[1]

After graduating, Morse was hired at Flint & Hall, a Boston lumber dealer.^[1] He spent three years with the company, during which he received training in all facets of the lumber business.^[1] In 1862, Morse moved to San Francisco, where he was employed by Pope & Talbot, then the largest lumber company on the Pacific coast.^[1] He returned to Flint & Hall in 1866, and in 1867 he moved to Burlington to serve as Flint & Hall's agent in the sale of a Vermont subsidiary.^[1] Morse successfully concluded the sale to Otis Shepard & Co. and decided to remain in Burlington.^[1]

In 1868, Otis Shepard & Co. joined with Lawrence Barnes & Co. in a new company that included Morse as a partner.^[1] Morse and William A. Crombie (who served as Burlington's mayor from 1889 to 1891) became the managing partners of the new corporation, Shepard & Morse.^[1] Shepard & Morse grew to include branches in Boston and in Ottawa, Canada.^[2] Morse also served on the board of directors for several other companies, including Saginaw Lumber and Salt, American Milk Sugar, Vermont Life Insurance, and Vermont Shade Roller.^[1]

A Republican, Morse served in local offices including member of Burlington's board of fire commissioners.^[3] In 1879 he was elected to a one-year term representing Ward 4 on Burlington's board of aldermen.^[4] In 1881 he was again elected as an alderman and he served until resigning in February 1882, shortly before the end of his one-year term.^[5][6]

In March 1883, Morse was the successful Republican nominee for a one-year term as mayor, defeating Democratic nominee Charles J. Alger 873 votes (57.7%) to 640 (42.3%).^[1][7] In March 1884, he was reelected without opposition, and received 1144 votes (99.6%) to four blank and write-in ballots. He served from April 1883 to April 1885.^[1]

In 1893, Morse relocated to New York City, where he was a partner in another lumber business, W. M. Crombie & Company.^[2] He died in Manhattan on March 4, 1905.^[2] Morse was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington.^[8]

In 1867, Morse married Kate Russell (1843-1890) of New Bedford, Massachusetts.^[1] They were the parents of two children, Harold Russell (1872-1965), who was sales manager of the A. C. Crombie Lumber Company of New York City, and Herbert William (1876-1948), a vice president of the New York Trust Company.^[1][9][10]