Isaac Norris (July 21, 1671June 4, 1735) was a merchant, slave trader and prominent figure in provincial
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, including
mayor of Philadelphia in 1724.
He was born in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, but his father, Thomas, moved to
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
when Isaac was seven years old. Isaac went to
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
in 1690 to arrange for his family to move to that city, but on his return he found that they had all died in the great earthquake at
Port Royal. He returned to Philadelphia, went into business, and became one of the wealthiest proprietors in Pennsylvania.
While he was in England in 1706 he came to the aid of
William Penn
William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...
in his difficulties and rescued him from imprisonment. On his return to Philadelphia two years later, he was elected to the governor's council, and from then until his death continued in public life. He was a member of the
Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly
The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to Wi ...
for many years, its speaker in 1712, justice for
Philadelphia County
Philadelphia County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the most populous county in Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, Philadelphia County had a population of 1,603,797. The county is the second smallest county in Pennsyl ...
in 1717, and, on the organization of the high court of chancery, became a master to hear cases with the lieutenant-governor. He was elected
mayor of Philadelphia in 1724. On the death of
David Lloyd, he was unanimously chosen Justice of the
Pennsylvania Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme Ju ...
, but he declined and remained in the county court. For many years he was one of the chief representatives of the proprietaries, and by the will of Penn he was named a trustee of the province of Pennsylvania.
Family
In 1694 he married Mary, daughter of
Thomas Lloyd, president of the council. Their son,
Isaac
Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was th ...
, succeeded his father in business and also became active in politics, serving as speaker of the Assembly. Norris died in Philadelphia on June 4, 1735.
Slave ownership and manumission
![Mary Norris 1674-1748 (page 297 crop)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Mary_Norris_1674-1748_%28page_297_crop%29.jpg)
Norris was a slave owner. He and Mary Lloyd freed many of the slaves during their lifetimes or in their wills. Their children, including Elizabeth and
Isaac Norris Jr., freed the rest of them.
For example, when Norris Sr. died in 1737, his will freed "Indian servant man Will (born in my house) . . . on or before 2 July 1740 on condition he serve his mistress whose property he will be." When Mary Lloyd Norris died a few years later, she willed to her daughter Elizabeth her "negro girl Dinah." Elizabeth freed Dinah twenty years later.
This was consistent with Quaker manumissions, which began in the 1730s, at the height of Quaker slave ownership, and peaked in the 1770s, by which time only about 19% of all inventoried Quakers owned slaves, and all of them freed them at their deaths.
Legacy
The borough of
Norristown, Pennsylvania is named for Norris, who in 1704 bought a large tract of land there from Penn.
Further reading
*"Isaac Norris's Fairhill: Architecture, Landscape, and Quaker Ideals in a Philadelphia Colonial Country Seat", Mark Reinberger and Elizabeth McLean, ''Winterthur Portfolio'', Vol. 32, No. 4 (Winter, 1997), pp. 243–274.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, Isaac
1671 births
1735 deaths
English emigrants
Mayors of Philadelphia
Members of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly
People of colonial Pennsylvania
American slave traders
American slave owners