Martha Morton (October 10, 1865 – February 18, 1925) was the first successful American woman to sustain a lengthy career as a professional playwright.

When she was nineteen, in 1884 Morton wrote a parody of David Belasco's May Blossom, which Daniel Frohman used as a skit for a benefit production.

Morton's next produced play, The Merchant, won first place and $5,000 in the New York World's playwriting contest, enjoying a seven-week run at the Madison Square Theatre in 1891.

At the age of twenty-one, she directed her first Broadway production, and became increasingly interested in "the role of women as active participants in solving problems of a national scope.

[7] On May 30, 1897, Morton's Helene opened the summer season at the Elitch Theatre with actor James O'Neill—father of the American playwright Eugene O'Neill—as the leading man.