As he had not yet reached the required age for ordination, he worked for a time as a private tutor before becoming a priest.

In 1831, Claude Rey was named Bishop of Dijon, but as he had been appointed by the king, it was not received well by the diocesan clergy, including Morlot.

Morlot eventually penned a Remonstrance critical of the bishop exercising his public functions, and which contributed to Rey's resignation in 1838.

[4] Pope Pius IX named him a cardinal in March 1853, and as such he took a seat in the senate of the Second French Empire.

In January 1857, he was appointed to succeed the assassinated Marie-Dominique-Auguste Sibour as Archbishop of Paris.