Thomas Morris (New York politician)

Thomas Morris (February 26, 1771 – March 12, 1849) was a United States Representative from New York and was a son of Founding Father Robert Morris.[1]

Thomas Morris
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 10th district
In office March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803
Preceded by	William Cooper
Succeeded by	George Tibbits
Member of the New York State Assembly
In office 1794–1796
Personal details
Born	February 26, 1771 Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania, British America
Died	March 12, 1849 (aged 78) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Federalist
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Sarah Kane
Relations	William White (uncle)
Parents	Robert Morris Mary White Morris
Alma mater	University of Leipzig (1788)

Early life

Morris was born on February 26, 1771 in Philadelphia in the Province of Pennsylvania to Robert Morris and Mary (née White) Morris. His father was a slave-trader, merchant, signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and later a U.S. Senator.[2] His mother's brother was William White, the Anglican Bishop of Pennsylvania.[3]

From 1781 to 1786, he attended school in Geneva, Switzerland and the University of Leipzig, in Germany, from 1786 to 1788.[4]

Career

After studying abroad, Morris returned to Philadelphia and studied law; he was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Canandaigua, New York. He was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1794 to 1796.[4]

Morris was elected as a Federalist to the Seventh Congress, holding office from March 4, 1801 to March 3, 1803.[5] He was not a candidate for renomination, and resumed the practice of law in New York City in 1803. He was appointed United States Marshal for the Southern District of New York in 1816, 1820, 1825, and 1829.[4]

Morris was said to have settled the peace with the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, four of whom had sided with the British during the Revolution.[6] His father then sold his substantial property in Western New York, which the younger Morris oversaw,[7] to the Holland Land Company in 1792–1793 for redevelopment in parcels,[8] although some sources identify the sale at five years later, in 1797–1798.[9]

Personal life

Morris was married to Elizabeth Sarah Kane (1771–1853), the daughter of Col. John Kane (1734–1808) and Sybil Kent Kane. Elizabeth's brother, Elisha Kane, and sister-in-law, Alida Van Rensselaer, were the parents of John K. Kane (1795–1858), the Attorney General of Pennsylvania.[10] Her sister, Sybil Adeline Kane, married Alida's brother, Jeremias Van Rensselaer (1769–1827), both children of Robert Van Rensselaer.[11] Together, they were the parents of:[12][13]

• Mary Morris (1800–1885), who married Charles Apthorp Van den Heuvel (d. 1879), son of Jan Cornelis Van den Heuvel.[12]
• Sally Morris (1801–1848), who died unmarried.[12]
• John Morris (1802–1879)[12]
• Robert Kane Morris (1808–1833), who died unmarried.[12]
• Henry White Morris (1805–1863), who died unmarried.[12]
• Harriet Morris (1807–1882), who died unmarried.[12]
• Emily Morris (1809–1884), who died unmarried.[12]
• Archibald Morris (b. 1811), who died young.[12]
• William Morris (1813–1817), who died young.[12]
• Caroline Julia Morris (1814–1888), who married John Stark.[12]
• William White Morris (1817–1866), who died unmarried.[12]
• Charles Frederick Morris (1819–1874)[12]

Morris died in 1849 in New York City.[4]

References

1. Rappleye, Charles. Robert Morris: Financier of the American Revolution. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4165-7091-2. p. 4.
2. Leckey, Howard L. (2009). The Tenmile Country and Its Pioneer Families: A Genealogical History of the Upper Monogahela Valley. Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 360. ISBN 9780806350974. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
3. Rappleye. Robert Morris. pp. 22, 140.
4. "MORRIS, Thomas - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
5. American Political Leaders 1789-2009. CQ Press. 2012. ISBN 9781452267265. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
6. Kneeland, Donald E. (2015). A Spirited Trip Through the Finger Lakes & Upstate New York: America's Gateway to the West. Pancoast Publishing. ISBN 9780983849643. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
7. Marcus, Maeva; Perry, James R. (1985). The Documentary History of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1789-1800: Cases, 1798-1800. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231139762. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
8. "Holland Land Company Maps | New York Heritage". www.nyheritage.org. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
9. Kirby, C.D. (1976). The Early History of Gowanda and The Beautiful Land of the Cattaraugus. Gowanda, NY: Niagara Frontier Publishing Company, Inc./Gowanda Area Bi-Centennial Committee, Inc.
10. Morris, Sarah Kane (1889). A letter from Mrs. Thomas Morris to her nephew the Hon. Judge John K. Kane, regarding the Kane and Kent families. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
11. Reynolds, Cuyler (1914). Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 1151. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
12. Pyne, Frederick Wallace; Independence, Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of (2004). Signers of the Declaration: index and images for the Applications to the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Willow Bend Books. ISBN 9781585498949. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
13. The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 1893. Retrieved July 25, 2017.

External links

• United States Congress. "Thomas Morris (id: M000988)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.