Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/496

 MORRIS

MORRIS

notes to be issued to the amount of $800,000, giving his name and credit as security. In August, 1783, American independence being assured, he hoped that a loan might be contracted ; but when news reached Holland that part of the army had mutinied and besieged congress at Phila- delphia, the sale of American bonds diminished. During 1784 Morris succeeded in discharging the debt and retired from office Nov. 1, 1784. He was a member of the state assembly in 1785-87 ; a representative in the convention that met in 1787 to combine the states into a union ; was a member of the constitutional convention, and nominated Washington fcr president of the con- vention. He declined the office of secretary of the treasury, and was one of the first U.S. senators from Pennsylvania, 1789-95. The city of Wash- ington was laid out in 1792, and in 1793 Robert Morris and James Greenleaf purchased six thou- sand lots at eighty dollars each, and agreed to build annually twenty brick houses. In 1795-96, Morris and Greenleaf became embarrassed and were obliged to make an assignment of their property. The notes which Morris had issued then became worthless, and he was imprisoned for debt from Feb. 16, 1798, until Aug. 26, 1801. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., May 8, 1806.

MORRIS, Robert Hunter, proprietary gov- ernor of Peimsylvania, was born in Morrisania, N.Y., about 1700 ; son of Gov. Lewis and Isabella (Graham) Morris. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and was chief justice of New York and New Jersey, 1738-64, and a member of the New Jersey council, 1738-58. In 1754 he succeeded Governor Hamilton as deputy governor of Penn- sylvania, serving until August, 1756, when he was relieved by William Denny. During his term occurred Braddock's defeat near Fort Du Quesne, July 9, 1755, which left the frontier unprotected and the defenceless settlers in a panic. The as- sembly voted an appropriation of fifty thousand pounds to be used to afford protection to the settlers, but Governor Morris returned it without his approval, because it provided for taxing the property of the proprietors as well as other estates, and on account of this act he was severely criticized and the assembly was obliged to vote fifteen thousand pounds, to be drawn on the trustees of the loan office. The abandonment of the campaign by the British left the frontier open to the attack of the Indians, and the most blood- thirsty outrages were committed. It was esti- mated that during the year 1755 nearly three thou- sand settlers were massacred. In 1756 Governor Morris formally declared war against the hostile Indians, notwithstanding the vigorous protest made by the Quakers in the assembly. Upon his retirement in 1756 he returned to New Jersey. He died in Shrewsbury, N.J., Feb. 20, 1764.

MORRIS, Samuel Wells, representative, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 1, 1786 ; son of Benjamin Wistar, grandson of Capt. Samuel (1734-1812), and a descendant, through Sjiinuel (1711-1782), and Anthony (1682-1783), from An- thony Moms (1654-1721), the immigrant. He practised law in Wellsborough, Pa.; was married to Anna, daughter of Mercy Ellis, a Quaker preacher ; was judge of the district court, and a Democratic representative in the 25th and 26th congresses, 1837-41. He died in Wellsborough, Tioga county, Pa., May 25, 1847.

MORRIS, Thomas, senator, was born in Berks county. Pa., Jan. 3, 1776'; the fifth son of Isaac and Ruth (Henton) Morris, and a descend- ant from Thomas Morris, who came from Eng- land to Massachusetts Bay colony, June 3, 1637. and on March 30, 1638, sailed from Boston for Quinnipiac (New Haven), settling there about April 15, 1628. He was brought upon a farm and received his early education from his mother. He enlisted as a ranger and fought against the Indians in 1792. He removed to Columbia, Ohio (now a part of Cincinnati), in 1795, and was a clerk in the first store established in the place. He married Rachel, youngest daughter of Ben- jamin and Mary Davis, and they had five sons and six daughters. His wife died Jan. 16, 1852. In 1800 he removed to Williamsburg, Clermont county, and in 1802 took up the study of law while carrying on his business as a farmer and brick manufacturer. In 1804 he gained admission to the bar and removed his family to Bethel, where he conducted a farm and opened a law office. He was a representative from Clermont county in the Ohio legislature, 1806-07 ; from Clermont and Champaign, 1808-09 ; from Cler- mont, 1810-12, and 1820-21 ; was a state sen- ator from Clermont, 1813-15, 1821-23, 1825-29 and 1831-33 and was a judge of the supreme court of the state, 1815-21. He was elected U.S. senator, Dec. 15, 1832, and served, 1833-39. He is said to have been the first man to denounce slavery on the floor of congress. In 1838 he replied to a speech of John C. Calhoun against the *' Right of Petition," and in 1839 replied to Henry Clay, in which speech he defended abolitionists and the right to agitate the question of slavery. In the Ohio legislature he advocated high license, fn ••- dom of worship, and the public school system, and in 1812 obtained the passage of an exemp- tion bill for the head of a family. He opposed the introduction of lotteries in the state, im- prisonment for debt and the canal system. He was nominated by the Liberty party at Buf- falo, N.Y., August, 1843, for Vice-President of the United States on the ticket with J. G. Birney for President. He died near Bethel, Ohio, Dec. 7, 1844.