MORRIS, GOUVERNEUR American states man, was born in the old Morrisania manor house, in what is now the city of New York, on Jan. 31, 1752. He graduated at King's college (now Columbia university) in 1768, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1771. An extreme aristocrat in his political views, he distrusted the democratic tendencies of the Whigs, but a firm belief in the justice of the American cause led him to join their ranks. Morris served in the New York provincial congress in 1776-77, and after the congress had be come the "Convention of the Representatives of the State of New York," he served on the committee of that, body which prepared the first draft of the State constitution. He served in the Continental Congress in 1777-79, and was enthusiastic in his support of Washington. In 1778 he was selected chairman of the committee to treat with Lord North's conciliation com missioners, and as such presented the famous report, adopted by a unanimous vote of Congress, which declared that the recogni tion of independence must precede any negotiations for peace.
He settled in Philadelphia as a lawyer, and in Feb. 1780 he published a series of essays on finance, in which he criticized the issue of legal tenders, denounced laws passed for the benefit of the debtor class, and urged the people to tax themselves for the common good. From 1781 to 1785 he was assistant to Robert Morris (q.v.), superintendent of finance. In 1782 he prepared an elaborate report on the coinage, suggesting the use of the decimal system and of the terms dollar and cent. With some modifications introduced by Jefferson, this plan constitutes the basis of the present American system. Morris was one of Penn sylvania's representatives in the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and took an active part in the debates. His influence was weakened, however, by his cynicism and by his ultra-aristocratic views. He was instrumental in securing the executive veto and in defeating the proposal that the legislature should elect the President. He also gave able support to the nationalist and anti-slavery factions in the convention. He was a member of
the committee of revision selected to draft the Constitution in its final form. In 1787 he returned to New York to live.
He went to France in Feb. 1789 on private business, and re mained abroad for nine years, passing most of the time in Paris, London and the German capitals. He was appointed U.S. min ister to France in 1792, and was the only representative of a foreign country who remained at his post throughout the Reign of Terror ; but his ill-concealed attitude of hostility to the Revo lution gave offence, and in return for the recall of Genet, at the request of the United States, the French government, in asked for the recall of Morris. Business and pleasure, however, still detained him in Europe until 1798, when he returned to New York, resumed the practice of law, re-entered politics and sat in the U.S. Senate as a Federalist from 180o to 1803. As early as 18or Morris became interested in projects for improving the communication between the Hudson river and Lake Erie, and from 1810 to 1816 he was chairman of the board of canal com missioners, which prepared plans for the Erie canal. He was bitterly opposed to the War of 1812, and openly advocated the formation of a northern confederacy to escape the rule of the "Virginia dynasty." He died at Morrisania on Nov. 6, 1816.
His half-brother, LEWIS MORRIS (1726-1798), a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was educated at Yale, served in the Continental Congress (1775-77) and went on a mission to the western frontier in 1775 to win over the Indians from the British to the American side. He joined the Army as brigadier general of militia in June 1778, and served in the New York Senate (1777-81 and See The Diary and Letters of Gouverneur Morris (1888), edited by Anne Cary Morris; Jared Sparks, Life of Gouverneur Morris (1832), the first volume being a biography and the second and third containing Morris's miscellaneous writings and addresses; and Theodore Roosevelt, Gouverneur Morris in the "American Statesmen" series (1888).