MORRIS, Robert, American financier and statesman, a signer of the Declaration of Inde pendence: b. Liverpool, England, 31 Jan. 1734; d. Philadelphia, 8 May 1806. He came to the colonies about 1747 and entered at Philadelphia the counting-room of Charles Willing, mer chant; in 1754 formed a partnership with Thomas Willing maintained until 1793; acquired a very considerable fortune for the America of that time; and despite his strong loyalty to England, opposed the Stamp Act and signed the non-importation agreement of 1765. In Octo ber 1775 he was elected to the provincial as sembly, and in 1776-78 was a member of the Continental Congress. On 2 July 1776 he voted against the Declaration of Independence and on 4 July absented himself ; but on 2 August he was one of the signers. When hostilities be gan his services became of increasing value. When Congress fled from Philadelphia to Balti more on 12 Dec. 1776, Morris was left in charge of its affairs, and when it reassembled at Baltimore on 20 December was made with George Clymer of Pennsylvania and George Walton of Georgia a committee for the execu tion of Continental business. Morris did all that was done. Most of the business of the colonies during December and January was transacted by him; he prepared American ships for sea, assumed charge of incoming freights and supplied Washington with money. • On 20 Feb. 1781 he was elected superintendent of finance. He found the treasury in a disordered state through a vastly depreciated paper cur rency, and at the lowest point in the fortunes of the Continental army borrowed money on his own credit and was the instrument in the difficult task of financing the war. He pre sented to Congress a plan for the organization of the Bank of North America, accepted 28 May; and himself subscribing $39,200 worth of shares. The bank was incorporated 31 Dec.
1781 and began operation 7 Jan. 1782. Morris resigned January 1783, hut on request did not retire until 1 Nov. 1784. He was a member of the Pennsylvania assembly in 1776-78, 1778-79, 1780-81, 1785-87. In 1787 he was a member of the convention that framed the United States Constitution. He declined the Secretaryship of the Treasury, and was United States Senator from Pennslyvania in 1784-95. With James Greenleaf and against Washington's advice, he entered land speculation, held vast territories, especially in the western half of New York State in anticipation of immigration after the war, and purchased in the new city of Wash ington 6,000 lots at $80 each, and agreeing to build yearly 20 brick houses. Largely through the defaulting of his partner he was compelled to make an assignment, and was imprisoned for debt at Philadelphia from 19 Feb. 1798 to 26 Aug. 1801. The influence of his credit, his ability in raising loans and his financial skill were of the utmost importance to the strug gling cause of the Revolution; and it is gen erally admitted that he was a momentous force in Washington's administration and fully earned the title of the °Financier of the Revo lution.° Consult Sparks, 'Diplomatical Corre spondence of the Revolution> (1829-30) ; the 'Life> by Sumner (1892) in the 'Makers of America' series; •Rolles, 'Financial Administra tion of Robert Morris> (1878), and Ober holtzer, 'Robert Morris: Patriot and Financier' (1903).