Matthew Norris (July 1705 – 27 December 1738) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who sat in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
Hemsted Park
Hemsted Park, historically sometimes known as Hempsted Park, Benenden, Kent Archaeological Socie ...
in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, where his father died in 1749. Among his siblings were fellow MP John Norris, Vice Admiral Henry Norris and Captain Richard Norris.
His niece was the art collector and amateur artist John Norris Hewett.
Career
He joined the Royal Navy and became Captain in 1724.
Norris was returned unopposed as
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
Rye
Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...
at a by-election on 21 January 1733 in succession to his brother John Norris who had taken up an official post in the Customs. While in Parliament, he put in an impassioned "appeal for American freedom." At the
1734 British general election
The 1734 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Robert Walpole's incr ...
, he was replaced as MP for Rye by his father.
Norris was appointed to the New York station, where he arrived on 26 July 1734 aboard HMS ''Tartar''. By 1734, he was married the daughter of a prominent landowner and colonial politician. Norris became a freeman of New York on account of his marriage and also because he vigorously opposed a bill in favour of the sugar colonies. In 1737 he became Commissioner of the Navy at a salary of £500 per annum.
Personal life
By 1734, Norris was married to Euphemia Morris (–1756), a daughter of
Lewis Morris
Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continen ...
of
Morrisania
Morrisania ( ) is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern Bronx, New York City, New York. Its boundaries are the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, Crotona-Prospect Avenue to the east, East 161st Street to the south, and Webster Avenue ...
, New York. His father-in-law was a member of the
New York General Assembly
The General Assembly of New York, commonly known internationally as the New York General Assembly, and domestically simply as General Assembly, was the supreme legislative body of the Province of New York during its period of proprietal colonia ...
and served as
Governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...
. Among her siblings were
Speaker of the New York General Assembly
The Speaker of the New York General Assembly was the highest official in the New York General Assembly, the first representative governing body in New York from 1683 to 1775 when the assembly disbanded after the outbreak of the American Revolution ...
Lewis Morris
Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continen ...
Robert Hunter Morris
Robert Hunter Morris ( – 27 January 1764), was a prominent governmental figure in Colonial Pennsylvania, serving as governor of Pennsylvania and Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Early life and education
Morris was born in ...
Recorder of New York City
The Recorder of New York City was a municipal officer of New York City from 1683 until 1907. He was at times a judge of the Court of General Sessions, the Court of Special Sessions, and the New York Court of Common Pleas; Vice-President of the Boar ...
.
Norris died without issue on 27 December 1738. After his death, his widow lived in
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.