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Gouverneur Morris

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Gouverneur Morris



 
 
Gouverneur Morris (January 31, 1752 November 6, 1816) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 statesman who represented Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
 in the Constitutional Convention of 1787
Philadelphia Convention

The Philadelphia Convention took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to address problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Kingdom of Great Britain....
 and was an author of large sections of the Constitution of the United States. He is widely credited as the author of the document's Preamble
Preamble to the United States Constitution

The Preamble to the United States Constitution is a brief introductory statement of the fundamental purposes and guiding principles which the Constitution is meant to serve....
: "We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union...".






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Gouverneur Morris
Gouverneur Morris (January 31, 1752 November 6, 1816) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 statesman who represented Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
 in the Constitutional Convention of 1787
Philadelphia Convention

The Philadelphia Convention took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to address problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Kingdom of Great Britain....
 and was an author of large sections of the Constitution of the United States. He is widely credited as the author of the document's Preamble
Preamble to the United States Constitution

The Preamble to the United States Constitution is a brief introductory statement of the fundamental purposes and guiding principles which the Constitution is meant to serve....
: "We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union...". In an era when most Americans thought of themselves as citizens of their respective states, Morris expounded the idea of being a citizen of a single union of states.. Morris enrolled at King's College (now Columbia University
Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York , is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City....
) at age 12. He graduated in 1768 and received a master's degree in 1771.

Political career

On May 8, 1775, Morris was elected to represent his family estate in the New York Provincial Congress
New York Provincial Congress

The New York Provincial Congress was an organization formed by rebels in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a replacement for the Province of New York Assembly, and as a replacement for the Committee of Sixty....
, an extralegal assembly dedicated to achieving independence. His advocacy of independence brought him into conflict with his family, as well as his mentor William Smith, who had abandoned the patriot cause when it moved towards independence.

Morris had a wooden leg. According to research, he liked to dance and managed to dance well on his wooden leg. He lost his leg in an accident.

Despite an automatic exemption from military duty because of his handicap and his service in the legislature, he joined a special "briefs" club for the protection of New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, a forerunner of the modern New York Guard
New York Guard

The New York Guard is the name of the State Defense Force of New York State. As of June 2008 the New York Guard, a recognized command under the State of New York, Military law, has line item funding in the state?s budget....
.

As a member of the New York Provincial Congress
New York Provincial Congress

The New York Provincial Congress was an organization formed by rebels in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a replacement for the Province of New York Assembly, and as a replacement for the Committee of Sixty....
, he concentrated on turning the colony into an independent state. He was largely responsible for the 1777 constitution of the new state of New York.

After the Battle of Long Island
Battle of Long Island

}|-||-||}The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the first battle in which...
 in August 1776, the British seized New York City and his family's estate. His mother, a Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)

Loyalists were Thirteen Colonies who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during and after the American Revolutionary War. They were often referred to as Tories, Royalists, or King's Men by the Patriot , those that supported the American cause....
, gave the estate over to the British for military use. Because his estate was now in the possession of the enemy, he was no longer eligible for election to the New York state legislature and was instead appointed as a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
.

He took his seat in Congress on January 28, 1778 and was immediately selected to a committee in charge of coordinating reforms in the military with General Washington. On a trip to Valley Forge
Valley Forge

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, was the site of the camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War....
, he was so appalled by the conditions of the troops that he became the spokesman for the Continental Army in Congress and pushed for substantial reforms in the training and methods of the army. He also signed the Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was the constitution of the revolutionary wartime alliance of the thirteen United States. The Articles' ratification was completed in 1781, and legally federated several sovereign and independent states, allied under the Articles of Association into a new federation styled the "United States...
 in 1778.

In 1779, he was defeated for re-election to Congress, largely because his advocacy of a strong central government was at odds with the decentralist views in New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
. Defeated in his home state, he moved to Philadelphia to work as a lawyer and merchant.

In Philadelphia, he was appointed assistant superintendent of finance (1781-1785), and was a Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Convention
Philadelphia Convention

The Philadelphia Convention took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to address problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Kingdom of Great Britain....
 in 1787, before returning to live in New York in 1788.

During the convention, he was a friend and ally of George Washington and others who favored a stronger central government. Morris was elected to serve on a committee of five (chaired by William Samuel Johnson
William Samuel Johnson

William Samuel Johnson was an early American statesman who was notable for signing the United States Constitution, for representing Connecticut in the United States Senate, and for serving as president of Columbia University....
) that would draft the final language of the proposed Constitution. Catherine Drinker Bowen
Catherine Drinker Bowen

Catherine Drinker Bowen was born as Catherine Drinker on the Haverford College campus on January 1, 1897, to a prominent Religious Society of Friends family....
, in Miracle at Philadelphia
Miracle at Philadelphia

Miracle At Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention is a work of historical non-fiction, written by Catherine Drinker Bowen and originally published in 1966....
, called Morris the committee's "amanuensis
Amanuensis

Amanuensis [ipa: ??m?nju'?ns?s] is a Latin word adopted in various languages, including English, for certain persons performing a function by hand, either writing down the words of another or performing manual labour....
," meaning that it was his pen that was responsible for most of the draft.

"An aristocrat to the core," Morris believed that "there never was, nor ever will be a civilized Society without an Aristocracy". He also thought that common people were incapable of self-government and feared that the poor would sell their votes to rich people, and consequently thought that voting should be restricted to property owners. Morris also opposed admitting new Western states on an equal basis with the existing Eastern states, fearing that the interior wilderness could not furnish "enlightened" statesmen. At the Convention he gave more speeches than any other delegate, totaling 173.

He went to Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 on business in 1789 and served as Minister Plenipotentiary to France
United States Ambassador to France

There has been a United States Ambassador to France since the American Revolution. The United States sent its first envoys to France in 1776, towards the end of that country's 400-year rule under the Bourbon dynasty....
 from 1792-1794. His diaries written during that time have become an invaluable chronicle of the French Revolution
French Revolution

The French Revolution was a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudalism for the aristocracy and Roman Catholic Church clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Age of Enlightenment principles of cit...
, capturing much of the turbulence and violence of that era. He returned to the United States in 1798 and was elected in 1800 as a Federalist
Federalist Party (United States)

The Federalist Party was an American political party in the period 1792 to 1816, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801....
 to the United States Senate
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James Watson
James Watson (politician)

James Watson was a United States Senate representing the state of New York....
, serving from April 3, 1800, to March 3, 1803. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1802. After leaving the Senate, he served as chairman of the Erie Canal Commission
Erie Canal Commission

The New York State Legislature appointed in 1810 a Commission to Explore a Route for a Canal to Lake Erie, and Report which became known as the Erie Canal Commission....
, 1810-1813.

Family and legacy

At the age of 57, he married Anne Cary ("Nancy") Randolph, who was the sister to Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr., husband of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence , and one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States....
's daughter Martha Jefferson Randolph
Martha Jefferson Randolph

Martha Washington Jefferson Randolph was the daughter of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, and his wife Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson....
. He died at the family estate of Morrisania and is buried at in the Bronx
The Bronx

The Bronx is the northernmost of the Five Boroughs of New York City and the newest of the 62 Administrative divisions of New York#county of New York State....
 borough of New York City. They had a son, Gouverneur Jr.
Gouverneur Morris Jr.

Gouverneur Morris Jr. was the son of founding father Gouverneur Morris and Anne Cary Randolph. He married Martha Jefferson Cary, daughter of Wilson Jefferson Cary, and Virginia Randolph Cary....
, who grew up to be a railroad executive.

Morris also became an important landowner in northern New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
, where the Town of Gouverneur
Gouverneur (town), New York

Gouverneur is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, New York, United States. The population was 7,418 at the 2000 census. The town is named after statesman and landowner Gouverneur Morris....
 and Village of Gouverneur
Gouverneur (village), New York

Gouverneur is a village in St. Lawrence County, New York, New York, United States. The population was 4,263 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Gouverneur Morris, one of the authors of the Constitution of the United States, as well as a prominent landowner and part-time resident of the area....
 in St. Lawrence County
St. Lawrence County, New York

St. Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the United States Census 2000, the population was 111,931. The county seat is Canton, New York....
 are named after him.

Morris's half-brother, Lewis Morris
Lewis Morris

Lewis Morris was an United States landowner and developer from Morrisania, New York. He was born at the manor of Morrisania. He signed the U.S....
 (1726-1798), was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Another half-brother, Staats Long Morris
Staats Long Morris

Staats Long Morris , was an United States colonist who served as a major-general in the Great Britain army during the American Revolution. He was born in Morrisiana, New York, the grandson of Lewis Morris , the brother of Lewis Morris , and the half-brother of Gouverneur Morris ....
, was a Loyalist and major-general in the British army during the American Revolution. His nephew, Lewis Richard Morris, served in the Vermont legislature and in the United States Congress. His grandnephew was William M. Meredith
William M. Meredith

William Morris Meredith was an United States lawyer and politician.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1812....
, United States Secretary of the Treasury
United States Secretary of the Treasury

The United States Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, concerned with finance and monetary matters, and, until 2003, some issues of national security and defense....
 under Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor

Zachary Taylor was an Military of the United States and the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States.Known as "Old Rough and Ready", Taylor had a 40-year military career in the United States Army, serving in the War of 1812, Black Hawk War, and Seminole Wars before achieving fame leading U.S....
. Morris's great-grandson, also named Gouverneur (1876-1953), was an author of pulp novels and short stories during the early twentieth century. Several of his works were adapted into films, including the famous Lon Chaney, Sr.
Lon Chaney, Sr.

Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an United States actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema....
 film The Penalty
The Penalty (film)

The Penalty is an United States crime film, originally released in 1920. It was directed by Wallace Worsley, and written by Philip Lonergan and Charles Kenyon, based upon the pulp novel by Gouverneur Morris ....
.

In 1943, a United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 Liberty ship
Liberty ship

Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S....
 named the SS Gouverneur Morris
SS Gouverneur Morris

The SS Gouverneur Morris was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Gouverneur Morris, author of large sections of the United States Constitution, including the Preamble to the United States Constitution....
 was launched. She was scrapped in 1974.

Sources

  • (A biography of Morris's wife.)* Miller, Melanie Randolph, Envoy to the Terror: Gouverneur Morris and the French Revolution (Potomac Books, 2005)
  • The Diary and Letters of Gouverneur Morris, Minister of the United States to France; Member of the Constitutional Convention, ed. Anne Cary Morris (1888). 2 vols.

External links

  • Mintz, Max, , Virginia Quarterly Review, Autumn 2003.
  • New-York Historical Society