Morris Cooper Foote was born on 16 September 1843 at Madison Barracks, Sackett's Harbor, New York, the son of the U.S. Army surgeon Dr. Lyman Foote (1796-1846) and Mary Morris Cooper (1806-1876). He enlisted in the New York Volunteer Infantry in 1861, beginning a forty year military career. After serving in the Civil War, he was stationed at Fort Columbus (now Fort Jay) in New York from 20 June 1866 until 20 December 1866, when he embarked for California via Nicaragua on the Steamer San Francisco. He reached Angel Island, California on 17 January 1867 and remained there until 13 July 1867, when he was ordered to Fort Ruby, Nevada. Foote arrived at Fort Ruby on 10 August 1867 and was stationed there until 2 September 1867, when he returned to San Francisco. He was in San Francisco from 6 September until 24 September 1867, when he embarked for Sitka, Alaska on the Steamer John L. Stephens. He arrived at Sitka on 9 October 1867 and remained there until 16 May 1869. He was present for such notable events as the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States (18 October 1867), a conflict with the Chilkat tribe (1 January 1869), and the robbery of ornaments from Sitka's Russian Orthodox cathedral by American soldiers (6 May 1869). After leaving Sitka, he was stationed in the Department of the Platte, serving at Fort Sedgwick, Colorado from 20 June 1869 through 15 April 1870, at Antelope rail station (now Kimball, Nebraska) from 16 April 1870 until 7 August 1870, and, following a 90-day leave of absence, at Fort David A. Russell in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Foote retired from military service on 19 February 1903, having attained the rank of Brigadier-General. He resided in Geneva, Switzerland until his death from heart failure on 6 December, 1905. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.