Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/490

 MORRIS

MORRIS

vester and Susanna (Weston) Morris ; grandson of Ephraiin and Pamela (Converse) Morris; and, tlirough Isaac, Edward 2d, Edward 3d, a de- scendant of Edward (1630-1690) and Grace (Beth) Morris, married at Roxbury, Sept. 20, 1655. He w IS graduated from Dartmouth college, A.B., 1361 ; A.M., 1864 ; was principal of the Royalton Academy, Vt., 1861-62 ; served as a volunteer in th6 U.S. army, 1862-63 ; was a tutor in Greek and mithematics at Dartmouth, 1863-64, and a student at the Union Theological seminary. New York city, 1864-66. He continued his education at the universities of Berlin and Halle, Germany, 1868-68, devoting himself to philosophical inves- tigations and to the study of the French, German and Italian languages. He was professor of modern languages at the University of Michigan, 1870-79 ; was married, June 29, 1876, to Victoria, daughter of Charles Antoine and Maria (Rogers) Celle ; was professor of ethics, history of philoso- phy and logic at the University of Michigan, 1881-87, and professor of philosophy, 1887-89. He was lecturer on ethics and the history of philosophy at Johns Hopkins university, 1878-85, and Eli lecturer at the General Theological semi- nary, 1882-83. The degree of Ph.D. was con- ferred on him by the University of Michigan in 1881. He is the author of a translatf5n from the German of Uberweg's History of Philosophy (2 vols., 1872-74) ; British Tlioughts and TJdnkers (1880) ; KanVs Critique of Pure Reason ; a Cri- tical Exposition (1882) ; Philosophy and Chris- tianity ( 1883), and HegeVs Philosophy of the State and of History: an Exposition (1887). He died at Ann Arbor, Mich., March 23, 1889.

MORRIS, George Upham, naval officer, was born in Massachusetts, June 3, 1830 ; son of Capt. Charles Morris, U.S.N, (q.v.). He was appointed a midshipman, Aug. 14, 1846 ; and served in the Gulf and on the Pacific, 1846-47. He was promoted passed midshipman, June 8, 1852 ; master, Sept. 15, 1855 ; and lieutenant, Sept. 16, 1855. In 1862 he was assigned to the U.S. sloop Cumberland of the North Atlantic blockading squadron, and on March 8, 1862, while he was in temporary command of tlie vessel at anchor off Newport News, the Cumberland was attacked by the Confederate ironclad Merrimac, and after a desperate battle went down with her colors flying and with a parting shot at the enemy. Many of the wounded perished with the ship, some were shot while swimming to the shore, and others, including Morris, reached the shore in safety. The number of lives lost was approx- imated at 237. The officers and men were thanked by Secretary Welles in a letter to Lieut. Morris, and President Lincoln recommended that a vote of tli.'inks be passed by congress for the valor and heroism displayed by Morris. The resolution

passed the house Dec. 19, 1862, and when it reached the senate Dec. 22, 1862, was referred to the committee on naval affairs and never acted upon. He was promoted lieutenant- commander, July 16, 1862, and in May, 1863, while in command of the steam gunboat Port Royal, was engaged with a nine-gun battery on the James river, and participated in the at- tack on Fort Darling, Drewry's Bluff, Ala., 1864. He was commissioned commander, July 25, 1866, and was retired from active service, Oct. 21, 1874. He died at Jordan Springs, Va., Aug. 15, 1875.

MORRIS, Qouverneur, senator, was born in Morrisania, N.Y., Jan. 31, 1752; son of Lewis and Sarah (Gouverneur) Morris, and half brother to Lewis Morris the signer. He was graduated from King'scollege,N.Y., A.B., 1768 ; A.M., 1771 ; studied law with Chief- Justice William Smith, and was admitted to the bar in 1771. In 1770 he published a series of anonymous articles against a motion for raising money by the issue of bills of credit then before the state legislature. He was a delegate to the first provincial congress in 1775, and with John Jay and Robert R. Living- ston drafted the constitution of the state of New York. He was a delegate to the Conti- nental congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of his father, Lewis Morris, 1777-80. He was a member of the committee appointed to examine with General Washington, the condi- tion of the American army quartered at Valley Forge ; and was chairman of the committee to ex- amine and consider the despatches from the American commissioners in Euroi>e, in 1779. He was thrown from his carriage in May, 1780, and his leg severely crushed, necessitating amputa- tion. He was appointed by Robert Morris as- sistant minister of finance and served in that capacity, 1781-85. He purchased the Morrisania estate from his half-brother, Staats Long Morris, in 1786, and subsequently resided there. He was a delegate to the constitutional conven- tion of 1787, and advocated conservative mea- sures. The final draft of the constitution was given to him for revision. He resided in France, 1788-91 ; was appointed a confidential agent of the United States to negotiate with the British government concerning some unfulfilled articles of the treaty of peace in 1791 ; was U.S. minister to France, 1792-94, and upon the arrival of James Monroe to assume the ministry he traveled ex- tensively in Europe, returning to the United States in 1798. He was U.S. senator, 1800-03, completing the term of Philip Schuyler, who had resigned Jan. 3, 1798, and had been followed suc- cessively by John Sloss Hobart, William North and James Wilson resigning in 1800. Senator Morris was chairman of the Erie Canal commis- sion, 1810-13. He is the author of a series of es-