Background
Gouverneur Morris was born on January 31, 1752, in his family's manor house at Morrisania (historical name for the South Bronx), New York City, New York, United States; the son of Lewis Morris, Jr. and Sarah Gouverneur.
(Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating bac...)
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1406762814/?tag=2022091-20
( Liberty Fund is pleased to present this single-volume c...)
Liberty Fund is pleased to present this single-volume collection of Governeur Morris's writings. This edition will be a welcome addition to scholars of American and French history as the volume contains many writings that have never before been published. Morris served as Deputy Superintendent of Finance during the American Revolution, in which capacity he devised the system of decimal coinage. He was a prominent member of the Constitutional Convention, where he spoke more frequently than any other member and, as a member of the Committee on Style and Arrangement, put the Constitution in its present form and authored its Preamble. As a private citizen in Paris, and later Minister to France (1789-94), Morris was a firsthand witness of the French Revolution. On his return to the U.S., he served as a U.S. Senator, was a prime mover in the creation of the Erie Canal, and took a leading role as a critic of the Jefferson and Madison administrations. Providing his unique perspective, this is a wonderful and accessible single source that illuminates the political and economic thought of Gouverneur Morris. Gouverneur Morris (1752-1816) was a prominent member of the Constitutional Convention, a signer of the U.S. Constitution and author of its Preamble, and U.S. Minister to France during the French Revolution. J. Jackson Barlow is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Politics and the Director, Program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Juniata College, in Huntington, Pennsylvania.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0865978352/?tag=2022091-20
(Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We h...)
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1290615306/?tag=2022091-20
Diplomat lawyer politician statesman
Gouverneur Morris was born on January 31, 1752, in his family's manor house at Morrisania (historical name for the South Bronx), New York City, New York, United States; the son of Lewis Morris, Jr. and Sarah Gouverneur.
After graduating from King's College, New York City, in 1768, he studied law under the chief justice of New York and in October 1771 was licensed as an attorney.
In 1775 he served as a member of New York's provincial congress and in the following year sat in its constitutional convention. With John Jay and Robert R. Livingston, he drafted New York's first constitution.
In 1778 he was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress, where he served as chairman of some of the Congress's most important standing committees.
His authorship of a number of essays on public finance brought him to the attention of Robert Morris, the Congress's superintendent of finance, who appointed Gouverneur Morris his assistant, a post he held until 1785. As a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he played a leading role, speaking more often than any other delegate and contributing substantially to the writing of the U. S. Constitution.
In 1788 Gouverneur Morris sailed for Europe to attend to Robert Morris's extensive business affairs. In Paris he branched out into speculative enterprises of his own and over the next decade amassed a considerable fortune. His wit, charm, and fluent command of French soon made him the most popular American in Paris. Among his acquaintances were leading members of the Parisian nobility and influential crown officials. His diary gives a lively account of his social life and is one of the best sources on the early stages of the French Revolution.
Early in 1792 Morris was appointed U. S. minister to France. He served until 1794, when the French government demanded his recall, but he traveled in Europe instead and returned to the United States in 1799. The following year he accepted an interim appointment of 3 years as U. S. senator from New York.
Morris was not elected to a new term, and during his retirement, after 1803, he supervised his numerous business activities and carried on an active correspondence with acquaintances abroad and at home.
He died at Morrisania on November 6, 1816.
(Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We h...)
(Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating bac...)
( Liberty Fund is pleased to present this single-volume c...)
Although some members of his family remained loyal to the British crown, Morris supported the rebel cause during the American Revolution.
He criticized the French Revolution and the execution of Marie Antoinette.
An extreme Federalist partisan, he was one of President Thomas Jefferson's most severe critics. In his correspondence he was sharply critical of the foreign policy pursued by Jefferson and James Madison, particularly their alleged hostility to Great Britain. Believing the War of 1812 to be "unjust, unwise, mismanaged, " he supported the disastrous Hartford Convention of 1814.
Morris was one of the few delegates at the Philadelphia Convention who spoke openly against domestic slavery.
He was elected an honorary member of the New York Society of the Cincinnati. Morris was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1814.
In 1809 he married Anne (or Ann) Cary ("Nancy") Randolph. They had a son, Gouverneur Morris Jr.