John Morin Scott (1730 – September 14, 1784) was a lawyer, military officer, and statesman before, during and after the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

Early life

Scott was born in Manhattan in 1730. He was the only child of John Scott (1702–1733), a Manhattan merchant, and Marian (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Morin) Scott (1703–1755). His father died when he was only three years old, and his mother never remarried. His father was the eldest of nine children born to Captain John Scott (1678–1740), who emigrated to New York City, where he received the rights of citizenship in 1702. His paternal grandfather was the second son of Sir John Scott, 1st Baronet of Ancrum,

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...

in Scotland. His maternal grandfather was

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Bez ...

settler Pierre Morin. He attended public school in New York before attending

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in New Haven, graduating in 1746 at the age of 16.

Career

After graduation from Yale and further study, he was admitted to the New York

bar association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to sep ...

in 1752, and practiced law in Manhattan, where he also served as an

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members the ...

from 1756 to 1761. In 1752, along with William Livingston and William Smith, he founded a weekly journal, the ''

Independent Reflector Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independen ...

''.Dillon, Dorothy R. ''The New York Triumvirate: A Study of the Legal and Political Careers of William Livingston, John Morin Scott, William Smith, Jr.''. New York: Columbia University Press, 1949. Reprint: 1968. From 1756 to 1761, he served as a New York

. In 1768, he was elected to membership in the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

American Revolution

Scott was a founding member of the Sons of Liberty and in 1775, he was a member of the New York General Committee. During the Revolutionary War, John Scott was a member of the New York Provincial Congress (from 1775 to 1777), while also serving 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 to ...

under

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

in the New York and New Jersey campaign. He commanded the 1st New York (Independent)

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

, the 2nd New York ( County) Battalion, and several New York

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

Regiments. He fought with Putnam's division at the

Battle of Brooklyn The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn, New Yo ...

on August 27, 1776, and was the last of Washington's generals to argue against surrendering Manhattan to the British—possibly due to his large landholdings there, including what is now Times Square and New York City's Theater District. Twenty days later, on September 16, 1776, Scott led the same battalions and regiments at the

Battle of Harlem Heights The Battle of Harlem Heights was fought during the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The action took place on September 16, 1776, in what is now the Morningside Heights area and east into the future Harlem neig ...

, an American victory. On October 28, 1776, his forces participated in the

Battle of White Plains The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War, fought on October 28, 1776 near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward ...

Post War life

In 1776, Scott was a member of the

State of New York New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state ...

committee to author a state constitution. After the war, Scott regained his Manhattan estate and, in 1777, was a

candidate A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * ...

for the first governorship of

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...

, losing to George Clinton. Scott was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a populatio ...

Associate Justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some state ...

of the State Supreme Court of New York in 1777, but declined. Instead, he became New York's first Secretary of State, a

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of ...

(representing the Southern District from 1777 to 1782), and served as an active delegate to the Continental Congress in 1780 and 1782.

Personal life

Scott was married to Helena Rutgers (1730–1798), a daughter of Petrus Rutgers and Helena (née Hooglant) Rutgers. Together, they were the parents of: * Mary Morin Scott (1753–1796), who married John Litchfield in 1770. After his death in 1775, she married Charles McKnight (1750–1791) in 1778. * Lewis Allaire Scott (1759–1798), who married Juliana Sitgreaves (1765–1842). Lewis was one of the two Deputy Secretaries of State during his father's tenure, and in 1784 was appointed to succeed him, dying in office in 1798. Scott died in New York City on September 14, 1784, and his body was

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at the north entrance of

Trinity Church, New York Trinity Church is a historic parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Known for its history, location, architecture and end ...

. His inscribed

slab Slab or SLAB may refer to: Physical materials * Concrete slab, a flat concrete plate used in construction * Stone slab, a flat stone used in construction * Slab (casting), a length of metal * Slab (geology), that portion of a tectonic plate that i ...

is visible from the corner of Wall Street and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. An equestrian statue is erected in his honor in Upper Manhattan.

References

External links

*
Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, John Morin 1730 births 1784 deaths Members of the New York Provincial Congress Continental Congressmen from New York (state) 18th-century American politicians Politicians from New York City American people of Scottish descent Secretaries of State of New York (state) Militia generals in the American Revolution New York (state) lawyers New York (state) militiamen in the American Revolution Yale Law School alumni New York (state) state senators People of the Province of New York Lawyers from New York City Presidents of the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York