Background
Morris, Robert was born on January 31, 1734 in Liverpool, England. Son of Robert Morris.
Financier Continental congressman
Morris, Robert was born on January 31, 1734 in Liverpool, England. Son of Robert Morris.
Educated by private tutor, Philadelphia.
Went to Maryland., circa 1747. Member firm Willing, Morris & Company, shipping merchants, Philadelphia, 1754. Signed Non-Importation Agreement of 1765.
Warden Port of Philadelphia, 1766. Member Pennsylvania Council of Safety, 1775. A secret committee of Continental Congress contracted with Willing & Morris for importation of arms and ammunition, 1775.
Member last Pennsylvania Assembly held under colonial charter 1775. Member Committee of Correspondence. Delegate to Continental Congress, 1774, 75, member secret committee for procuring munitions, 1775, member committee of secret correspondence which drew up instructions to Silas Deane, envoy to France, 1776.
Signed Declaration of Independence, August 1776. Chosen to 1st Pennsylvania Assembly under new constitution, 1776-1777. Member Committee of Secret Correspondence (later Committee of Foreign Affairs, then Committee of Commerce), 1777.
Signed Articles of Confederation for Pennsylvania, 1778. Member Pennsylvania Assembly, 1778, 80-81. Superintendent of finance under Articles of Confederation, 1781.
Accused in press of fraudulent commercial ventures with Silas Deane but was cleared of all charges, 1778-1779. Authorized to fit out and employ ships of the United States, 1781. Assumed task of buying supplies for the armies.
Reorganized civil administration. He paid off money owed Continental soldiers by securing loans from France, 1781, Netherlands, 1783-1784. Member General Assembly of Pennsylvania for special purpose of defending Bank of North America, 1785-1786.
Made contract with French Farmers-General which gave him monopoly of America tobacco trade with France, 1785. Member Annapolis Convention, 1786. Member United States Senate (Federalist) from Pennsylvania, 1789-1795.
Member United States Constitutional Convention, 1787. His fortunes collapsed through large land speculations in New York and elsewhere, 1798. Arrested, spent over 3 years in debtors prison and died in near poverty circumstances.
Member firm Willing, Morris & Company, shipping merchants, Philadelphia, 1754. Member Pennsylvania Council of Safety, 1775. Member last Pennsylvania Assembly held under colonial charter 1775.
Member Committee of Correspondence. Member Committee of Secret Correspondence (later Committee of Foreign Affairs, then Committee of Commerce), 1777. Member Pennsylvania Assembly, 1778, 80-81.
Member General Assembly of Pennsylvania for special purpose of defending Bank of North America, 1785-1786. Member Annapolis Convention, 1786. Member United States Senate (Federalist) from Pennsylvania, 1789-1795.
Member United States Constitutional Convention, 1787.
Married Mary White, 1773, 7 children.