Morgan Lewis (October 16, 1754 – April 7, 1844) was an American lawyer, politician, and military commander. The second son of
Francis Lewis, a signer of the
Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...
, Lewis fought in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
and the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...
. He served in the New York State Assembly (1789, 1792) and the New York State Senate (1811–1814) and was New York State Attorney General (1791–1801) and governor of New York (1804–1807).
Early life
Morgan Lewis was born on October 16, 1754, of
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
descent, the second son of
Francis Lewis (1713–1802) and Elizabeth (
née Annisley) Lewis (1715–1778). Lewis grew up in
Elizabethtown, New Jersey Elizabeth Township, also called Elizabethtown, was a township that existed in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, from 1664 until 1855.
The area was initially part of the Elizabethtown Tract, purchased from the Lenape on October 28, 16 ...
, where he decided to dedicate himself to the
ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
. However, based on his father's advice, he attended the College of New Jersey (now
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
), graduating in 1773, and began to study law. He read law alongside
John Jay
John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the f ...
. His studies were interrupted by military service during the American Revolutionary War. He was admitted to the bar in 1783.
Military career
From September 1, 1776, to the end of the war he was a colonel and the
Quartermaster
Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...
General for the Northern Department.
In 1774, he joined the American Revolution as a volunteer in the
Continental Army. Lewis was then made a captain of a regiment of the New York militia. Once the 2nd New York militia regiment was organized, he was promoted to the rank of major. He was then appointed chief-of-staff to General
Horatio Gates
Horatio Lloyd Gates (July 26, 1727April 10, 1806) was a British-born American army officer who served as a general in the Continental Army during the early years of the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory in the Battl ...
, with the rank of colonel, and accompanied him
into Canada, and soon after congress appointed him quartermaster-general of the Northern Army. In 1775, he planned and executed the night attack on Stone Arabia, and was in command at the battle of
Crown Point, where he was accompanied by New York Governor
George Clinton. He was prominent throughout the campaign that ended with the surrender of
John Burgoyne
General John Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British general, dramatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1792. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several bat ...
at
Saratoga.
Political career
After the Revolution, Lewis completed his legal studies while he lived in
Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...
, boarding at the riverside home of James Bloodgood. In 1779, the tax list showed him living there with personal property valued at $2,000, one of the city's highest assessments. Later, he qualified for a "bounty right" as a member of the city regiment of the Albany County Militia. During that time, he acquired some Albany property. He was elected to the
New York State Assembly, 1789 and 1792, and the
New York State Senate from 1811 to 1814. He was
New York State Attorney General
The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government o ...
(December 24, 1791 – October 28, 1801) and later Justice and
Chief Justice (October 28, 1801) of the
Supreme Court of New York.
He served as
governor of New York from 1804 to 1807, defeating
US Vice President
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice pr ...
Aaron Burr in the race to succeed the future vice president
George Clinton as governor. In the
New York gubernatorial election, 1804, he was largely responsible for splitting the
Jeffersonian Republican Party in New York into "Lewisites" (allies of Lewis) and the "Clintonians" (allies of New York Mayor
DeWitt Clinton) with his combination of Lewisites (labeled "
Quids" by the Clintonians) and
Federalists
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of de ...
.
During his tenure, the
United States Military Academy at West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
was established, the state's militia system was restructured, and educational improvements were sanctioned. On April 30, 1807, he was defeated in
his run for re-election by
Daniel D. Tompkins
Daniel D. Tompkins (June 21, 1774 – June 11, 1825) was an American politician. He was the fifth governor of New York from 1807 to 1817, and the sixth vice president of the United States from 1817 to 1825.
Born in Scarsdale, New York, Tompkins ...
, also a future vice president. Tompkins received 35,074 votes, and Morgan Lewis received 30,989 votes. He then returned home to
Staatsburg, Dutchess County, New York, where he turned his attention to agriculture. Having given up the practice of law, Lewis established a cloth factory, and for several years devoted himself to manufacturing. The failure of a mercantile house to which his goods were assigned caused him to discontinue the business.
War of 1812
Prior to the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...
, Lewis declined the office of
US Secretary of War
The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
under President
James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...
. Instead, he resumed his duties as
Quartermaster General and served in western New York. He was commissioned as a
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
on April 3, 1812, and was promoted to
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
on March 2, 1813, as part of his service on the
Niagara Frontier. He commanded the American forces at the
Battle of Fort George. Although the British position was captured, Lewis ordered Colonel
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...
to break off the pursuit of the defeated British troops. But for Lewis's overcaution, Scott might have been able to capture Major General
John Vincent's entire division and greatly weaken the British defense of the Niagara Peninsula. Later, Lewis was appointed as commander of Upstate New York. He procured the release of the American prisoners in Canada, advanced from his private fortune the money for its accomplishment, and rewarded his own tenants who had served in or sent sons to the war by allowing them free rent for the time they served in the army. After the war, Lewis was discharged from the Army on June 15, 1815.
Lewis was a
presidential elector
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...
in the
presidential election of 1828.
Later life
Lewis was a
Freemason and served as
Grand Master in the
Grand Lodge of New York from 1830 to 1843. From 1832 to 1835, he was the president of the
Historical Society of New York. Lewis was an original member of the New York
Society of the Cincinnati and served as its president general from 1839 to 1844. He also helped to found
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
, in New York City.
Lewis died in New York City on April 7, 1844.
Personal life
In 1779, he married
Gertrude Livingston (1757–1833), the daughter of Margaret Beekman and Judge
Robert Livingston. They lived in
Rhinebeck and then in
Hyde Park in
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later or ...
. In 1790, his Rhinebeck household was served by eight slaves. Together, Morgan and Gertrude had:
*
Margret Lewis (1780–1860), who married
Maturin Livingston (1769–1847), a lawyer and politician from New York.
In 1792, Lewis, purchased an estate covering of about 334 acres (135 ha) in
Staatsburg, New York, and commissioned the construction of a colonial-style house. In the summer of 1824, on his
visit to the United States, the
Marquis de Lafayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...
dined there on his way upriver to visit Lewis' brother-in-law,
Chancellor Livingston.
In 1832, the house was destroyed by a fire, said to be an act of arson committed by disgruntled tenant farmers. After the fire, Morgan Lewis and his wife immediately replaced the structure with a
Greek Revival mansion with 25 rooms. The house was inherited in 1844 after Morgan Lewis died, by his daughter Margaret and her husband, Maturin Livingston.
Legacy
The following communities have been named in Lewis' honor:
*
Lewis County, New York,
* The
Town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
and
Village of Lewiston, in
New York,
* The
Town of Lewis in
Essex County, New York
Essex County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,381. Its county seat is the hamlet of Elizabethtown. Its name is from the English county of Essex. Essex is one of only 2 counties that are e ...
References
External links
Governor Morgan Lewis*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Morgan
1754 births
1844 deaths
Livingston family
Princeton University alumni
Governors of New York (state)
Continental Army officers from New York (state)
Members of the New York State Assembly
New York (state) state senators
New York State Attorneys General
New York University people
New York Supreme Court Justices
American people of Welsh descent
Quartermasters General of the United States Army
New York (state) Democratic-Republicans
1828 United States presidential electors
University and college founders
People of the Province of New York
Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States