Background
The date of birth of Nicholas More in unknown, he was born in London, England.
The date of birth of Nicholas More in unknown, he was born in London, England.
More was educated as a physician, but he did not practise his profession after he went to America.
In 1682 he became the president of the Free Society of Traders, a body organized by a group of English merchants to purchase land, establish a manorial settlement, and engage in agriculture, trade, and manufacturing in the province of Pennsylvania. This Society was not particularly successful, but More's connection with it probably helped him in his political career and made it easier for him to buy land for himself on favorable terms.
He and his family migrated to Pennsylvania with William Penn in 1682 and settled in Philadelphia. There is a tradition that he was the chairman or speaker of the first provincial assembly, which met at Chester in December 1682, but the tradition is not corroborated by the records.
He was, however, secretary of the provincial council in 1683, a member of the assembly in 1684 - 1685, and speaker of the assembly in 1684. He was also presiding judge of the county courts of Philadelphia in 1683 - 1684 and, on August 4, 1684, was appointed prior judge or chief justice of the province and the lower counties (Delaware). On August 7 of the same year, he purchased an estate of about 10, 000 acres of land in Philadelphia County, which was called the manor of Moreland and is now a part of Moreland township.
Shortly after his appointment as chief justice, More became involved in a dispute with the assembly which culminated in the first impeachment trial in American history. Ten charges were brought against him, May 15, 1685, based mainly on complaints from the lower counties. It was alleged that he had held circuit courts at inconvenient times and without consulting the provincial council; that he had summoned juries in an unlawful manner; that he had browbeaten a jury into finding an unjust verdict; and that he had committed various other high crimes and misdemeanors.
He was expelled from the assembly and suspended from his judicial position (June 2, 1685) but the council refused to sanction the impeachment proceedings.
In 1686 he was appointed a member of the board of five commissioners who were to act as the provincial executive, but his health was failing and he was unable to serve. He died in 1689, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Nicholas More's troubles were largely due to the defects of his character. He had an ungovernable temper and a fluent vocabulary of abuse.
Nicholas More had a wife, Mary, whom he had married in England. The couple had four children.
