For other people named Gouverneur Morris, see Gouverneur Morris (disambiguation).
"Governor Morris" redirects here. For other uses, see Governor Morris (disambiguation).
Gouverneur Morris
Portrait of Morris, 1817
United States Senator from New York
In office April 3, 1800 – March 3, 1803
Preceded by
James Watson
Succeeded by
Theodorus Bailey
4th United States Minister to France
In office June 3, 1792 – April 9, 1794
President
George Washington
Preceded by
William Short
Succeeded by
James Monroe
Personal details
Born
(1752-01-31)January 31, 1752 The Bronx, Province of New York, British America
Died
November 6, 1816(1816-11-06) (aged 64) The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Resting place
Saint Ann's Episcopal Church, The Bronx
Political party
Federalist
Spouse
Ann Cary ("Nancy") Randolph
(m. 1809)
Children
Gouverneur Morris II
Alma mater
King's College (AB, AM)
Signature
Gouverneur Morris (/ɡʌvərnɪərˈmɒrɪs/guh-vər-NEERMOR-ris;[1] January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816) was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. He wrote the Preamble to the United States Constitution and has been called the "Penman of the Constitution".[2] While most Americans still thought of themselves as citizens of their respective states, Morris advanced the idea of being a citizen of a single union of states.[3] He was also one of the most outspoken opponents of slavery among those who were present at the Constitutional Congress. He represented New York in the United States Senate from 1800 to 1803.
Morris was born into a wealthy landowning family in what is now New York City. After attending King's College (now Columbia University) he studied law under Judge William Smith and earned admission to the bar. He was elected to the New York Provincial Congress before serving in the Continental Congress. After losing re-election to Congress, he moved to Philadelphia and became the assistant U.S. Superintendent of Finance. He represented Pennsylvania at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in which he advocated a strong central government. He served on the committee that wrote the final draft of the United States Constitution.
After the ratification of the Constitution, Morris served as Minister Plenipotentiary to France. He criticized the French Revolution and the execution of Marie Antoinette. Morris returned to the United States in 1798 and won election to the Senate in 1800. Affiliating with the Federalist Party, he lost re-election in 1803. After leaving the Senate, he served as chairman of the Erie Canal Commission.
^Brookhiser, Richard (Spring 2002). "The Forgotten Founding Father". City Journal. New York, NY: Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-01-15.
^"Documents from the Constitutional Convention and the Continental Congress". Library of Congress.
^Wright, Robert K. Jr. (1987). "Gouverneur Morris". Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution. United States Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 71-25. Archived from the original on 2019-10-09. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
GouverneurMorris (/ɡʌvərnɪər ˈmɒrɪs/ guh-vər-NEER MOR-ris; January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816) was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United...
Randolph Morris (September 16, 1774 – May 28, 1837) (nicknamed Nancy) was the daughter of Thomas Mann Randolph Sr. and the wife of GouverneurMorris. Books...
validity. The language of the concluding endorsement, conceived by GouverneurMorris and presented to the convention by Benjamin Franklin, was made intentionally...
Lewis GouverneurMorris II (June 4, 1882 – August 14, 1967) was a banker and prominent social figure in New York and Newport Society. Morris was born on...
Terror.[full citation needed] Morris, Gouverneur; Morris, Anne Cary (1888b). The Diary and Letters of GouverneurMorris. Vol. II. C. Scribner's Sons....
statesman and Founding Father GouverneurMorris Jr. (1813–1888), New York entrepreneur and son of GouverneurMorrisGouverneurMorris (novelist) (1876–1953)...
first United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs — King's College GouverneurMorris: Founding Father of the United States; author of the United States...
the Constitution would achieve. The preamble was mainly written by GouverneurMorris, a Pennsylvania delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention held...
Robert Morris, and GouverneurMorris. Jack N. Rakove emphasizes the leadership of Robert Morris. The army delegation first met with Robert Morris and other...
siblings, Staats Long Morris (1728–1800) and Richard Morris (1730–1810), and his half-siblings, Mary Lawrence, GouverneurMorris (1752–1816), Isabella...
Rufus King from Massachusetts, James Madison from Virginia, and GouverneurMorris from Pennsylvania, was appointed to distill a final draft constitution...
1936, Lee was living in California with her son James Jr, novelist GouverneurMorris, and his wife Ruth. Lee became engaged to Russell and planned to marry...
person to hold the office was Robert Morris, who served from 1781 to 1784, with the assistance of GouverneurMorris. Various boards and committees were...
SS GouverneurMorris (Hull Number 1627) was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after GouverneurMorris, a Founding...
with France. However, GouverneurMorris, the American minister to France, did not press his claim, and Paine later wrote that Morris had connived at his...
Francis Lewis William Duer GouverneurMorris North Carolina John Penn Cornelius Harnett John Williams Pennsylvania Robert Morris Daniel Roberdeau Jonathan...
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