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Gouverneur Morris (/ ɡ ʌ v ər n ɪər ˈ m ɒr ɪ s / guh-vər-NEER MOR-ris; January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816) was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution.
Jan 27, 2024 · Gouverneur Morris (born January 31, 1752, Morrisania house, Manhattan [now in New York City]—died November 6, 1816, Morrisania house, New York, New York, U.S.) American statesman, diplomat, and financial expert who helped plan the U.S. decimal coinage system. Morris graduated from King’s College (later Columbia University) in 1768, studied ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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- He died after a gruesome bit of self-surgery. After suffering from crippling gout throughout the fall of 1816, the Founding Father’s pain grew even worse when he began to experience a urinary tract blockage.
- Morris had a peg leg. Pain was nothing new for Morris. As a 14-year-old, he accidentally dropped a kettle of boiling water that scalded his right arm and side and forced him to miss an entire year of classes at King’s College (present-day Columbia University).
- Morris carried on an affair in the Louvre. Morris traveled to Paris on a business venture in 1789, and three years later President George Washington appointed him minister to France.
- The American Revolution split his family. Although initially fearing “the domination of a riotous mob,” Morris backed the patriot cause after the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775.
Known as “the Penman of the Constitution,” the eccentric and outspoken Gouverneur Morris contributed in multiple ways to building the core foundation of American government. A member of one of New York’s prominent Tory families, Morris abandoned his British allegiances and devoted himself fully to the American revolutionary cause.
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Aug 4, 2020 · History doctoral candidate Jennifer Reiss explores the life and identity of Gouverneur Morris, a disabled American who wrote the ‘We the People’ preamble to the Constitution and lived with painful disabilities. She discovers how his injuries, gout, and mental health shaped his views and actions as a Founding Father and an envoy in Paris.
An interview with historian Melanie Randolph Miller about the life and legacy of Gouverneur Morris, a Founding Father who drafted the Preamble to the Constitution and served as U.S. Minister to France during the French Revolution. Learn how he kept a diary that reveals his opinions, experiences, and insights on politics, history, and human nature.
Jun 8, 2020 · A profile of Gouverneur Morris, the New Englander who gave the Preamble its unforgettable text and helped define the language and structure of the U.S. Constitution. Learn about his role in the Constitutional Convention, his views on representation, slavery, and the presidency, and his legacy as a Federalist leader.