GOUVERNEUR MORRIS

New York, New York
January 31, 1752–November 6, 1816
Hard to Take at Times

Gouverneur Morris, one of the principal writers of the United States Constitution, entered the limelight in the early 1770s. Over the course of his adult years, he fought with his family over the issue of allegiance to independence, served in the army in the Revolutionary War, left the country for ten years, came back, and picked up where he left off. The man with the oddly spelled name was a boon to the United States throughout its growing-up years.

Family Feud

Not many people were gifted enough to enter King’s College at age twelve. Gouverneur Morris was one of the few. He began his studies in 1764 and graduated from the college four years later. Too young to start a career at age sixteen, he went on to earn a master’s degree in 1771, and followed that with three years of study with the noted New York law scholar William Smith.

Smith, a fervid opponent of British tax policies, introduced Morris to leading New York patriots such as John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. They helped Morris begin his political career.

Once Morris passed the bar exam, he entered the political arena. In 1775, he was elected to the independence-minded, similarly named—and extralegal—New York Provincial Congress, which patriots organized as an alternative to the colony’s “official” pro-British legislative body, the Province of New York Assembly. The New York Provincial Congress immediately declared itself the official government on May 22, 1775.

Morris’s commitment to independence extracted a dear price: a schism with his family and friends. One of his pet peeves during the Revolutionary War era was Tories, a faction that included his mother, half-brother, and even his mentor William Smith, who became a Tory because he did not favor the New Yorkers’ move toward independence.

Early in the war Morris advocated reasoning with colonists who stayed loyal to the king. Later, he supported harsher methods, such as tarring and feathering, whippings, and confiscation of property.

Morris’s half-brother, Staats Long Morris (1728–1800), fought in the British army, and became a major general. After the Constitutional Convention of 1787 ended, Gouverneur bought the family estate in New York City from him and moved in.

Morris was unperturbed by the family rift at first. The loss of family ties did not deter him from seeking independence for the colonies.

Politics and War: Whatever It Takes

Morris served in the New York Provincial Congress for two years and the Continental Congress for another two (1777–79).

In 1778, patriots formed a committee to meet with British Prime Minister Lord North’s conciliation commissioners. Morris chaired the committee and presented a report adopted by a unanimous vote of Congress that declared that the recognition of independence must precede any negotiations for peace.

He also served in the army for a while, even though he was exempt because of his status as a congressional delegate. And he maintained his separation from his family, although he and his mother later reconciled.

Morris moved to Philadelphia in 1780 and resumed his law career. There he published a series of papers on finance and served as the assistant to superintendent of finance Robert Morris (no relation). He prepared an illuminating report in 1782 that discussed coinage and its inclusion in the American currency system. He suggested that the nation base its currency on the decimal system. But it was not until after the war ended that Gouverneur Morris demonstrated his true value to the United States.

REVOLUTIONARY REVELATIONS

Gouverneur Morris invented the word “cent.”

Some Bizarre Ideas

The state of Pennsylvania elected Morris to represent it at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. That was a surprise to Morris. He had a reputation for bluntness and cynicism that he suspected would not be tolerated at the convention. He attended nonetheless—and became one of the lead authors of the U.S. Constitution.

REVOLUTIONARY REVELATIONS

Gouverneur Morris had experience writing constitutions. He had written almost the entire New York Constitution a decade earlier.

Morris had some bizarre ideas about what he wanted for the new U.S. government. He opted for a strong executive who could stay in office as long as he exhibited good behavior and an aristocratic Senate appointed by the president for life. He also tried to insert a clause that guaranteed in perpetuity the political supremacy of the states east of the Allegheny Mountains. Those measures failed.

On the other hand, he helped secure the executive veto and preserve the popular vote for president by defeating a proposal allowing the legislature to elect the president. After the debate over the Constitution ended, Morris wrote the final draft and then went back to New York.

From Pillar to Post

Morris left the United States on a business trip in 1789 and did not return for a decade.

While he was in Europe, he served as the American minister to France. But in a throwback to his reputation as an outspoken cynic back home, he openly showed contempt for the ongoing French Revolution. The French government asked the United States to recall him, which it did. He came home and picked up where he left off, resuming his law career and re-entering politics. He served three years in the United States Senate and took an interest in improving transportation from the eastern part of the country to the interior. He was active in a number of ventures, such as spearheading the project to build the Erie Canal, which contributed significantly to the western development of the United States.

Morris being Morris, he often aggravated other politicians. He was outspoken against the War of 1812 to the point where he promoted the creation of a northern confederacy of states to eliminate the rule of the “Virginia dynasty.” It was radical proposals like this that separated Morris from his contemporaries and the views of the Founding Fathers.

As critical as he could be sometimes, Morris never lost his love for a free and independent United States. That is what he had worked so hard for throughout his career. Some people had to have a strong constitution to stomach him at times but because of his efforts, that is what the United States ended up with: a strong constitution.