Morris, Lewis, 1726-1798

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person

Name Entries *

Morris, Lewis, 1726-1798

Computed Name Heading

Name Components

Surname :

Morris

Forename :

Lewis

Date :

1726-1798

eng

Latn

authorizedForm

rda

Genders

Male

Exist Dates

Exist Dates - Date Range

1726-04-08

1726-04-08

Birth

1798-01-22

1798-01-22

Death

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Biographical History

Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continental Congress from New York.

Born at his family's estate, Morrisania, presently part of Bronx County, in what was then the Province of New York, he graduated from Yale College before returning to Morrisania. In 1769, he was elected to the New York General Assembly. In 1774, as the Revolution drew near, he resigned from the Admiralty Court. When active revolution began, he was a member of the New York Provincial Congress, the revolutionary government, from 1775 until 1777. That body, in turn, sent Morris to the Continental Congress for those same years. While in Congress, he was an active supporter of independence and signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

In 1777, Lewis returned to New York, became a county judge of Westchester County, and was appointed a member of the New York State Senate. He served in the 1st New York State Legislature, which began on September 9, 1777, until the end of the 4th Legislature, on July 1, 1781. Beginning on July 1, 1783, he returned to the New York State Senate, and served in the 7th Legislature through to the end of the 13th Legislature, ending on June 30, 1790. In 1788, when the New York convention met to ratify the U.S. Constitution, he was one of the delegates. Morris was a Federalist presidential elector in 1796, and cast his votes for John Adams and Thomas Pinckney.

After the Revolution, Morris had to rebuild the family estate, which had been looted and burned by the British when they occupied New York. In 1790, he offered the land, now part of the South Bronx neighborhood of Morrisania, as the site of the U.S. capital. He died on the estate and is buried in the family vault beneath St. Ann's Church in the Bronx.

eng

Latn

External Related CPF

https://viaf.org/viaf/65468051

https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q328181

https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n85353540

https://id.loc.gov/authorities/n85353540

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Languages Used

eng

Latn

Subjects

Childbirth

Money

Nationalities

Britons

Americans

Activities

Occupations

Delegates, U.S. Continental Congress

Farmers

Jurists

State Representative

State Senator

Legal Statuses

Places

New Haven

CT, US

AssociatedPlace

Residence

New Rochelle

NY, US

AssociatedPlace

Residence

White Plains

NY, US

AssociatedPlace

Residence

Morrisania

NY, US

AssociatedPlace

Birth

Morrisania

NY, US

AssociatedPlace

Death

Convention Declarations

<conventionDeclaration><citation>VIAF</citation></conventionDeclaration>

General Contexts

Structure or Genealogies

Mandates

Identity Constellation Identifier(s)

w6tj9br6

85102267