Thomas Morris (February 26, 1771 – March 12, 1849) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

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and was a son of

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Robert Morris.

Early life

Morris was born on February 26, 1771 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

in the

Province of Pennsylvania 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 ...

to Robert Morris and Mary (

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 ...

White) Morris. His father was a slave-trader, merchant, signer of the

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and the

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, and later a U.S. Senator. His mother's brother was William White, the Anglican Bishop of Pennsylvania. From 1781 to 1786, he attended school in

Geneva, Switzerland , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ...

and the University of Leipzig, in Germany, from 1786 to 1788.

Career

After studying abroad, Morris returned to Philadelphia and studied law; he was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in

Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua (; ''Utaʼnaráhkhwaʼ'' in Tuscarora) is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county comp ...

. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assemb ...

from 1794 to 1796. Morris was elected as a

Federalist 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 d ...

to the Seventh Congress, holding office from March 4, 1801 to March 3, 1803. He was not a candidate for renomination, and resumed the practice of law in

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in 1803. He was appointed

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforceme ...

for the

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in 1816, 1820, 1825, and 1829. 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. His father then sold his substantial property in

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY inc ...

, which the younger Morris oversaw, to the

Holland Land Company The Holland Land Company was an unincorporated syndicate of thirteen Dutch investors from Amsterdam who in 1792 and 1793 purchased the western two-thirds of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase, an area that afterward was known as the Holland Purchase ...

in 1792–1793 for redevelopment in parcels, although some sources identify the sale at five years later, in 1797–1798.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.

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. Her sister, Sybil Adeline Kane, married Alida's brother, Jeremias Van Rensselaer (1769–1827), both children of

Robert Van Rensselaer Robert Van Rensselaer (December 16, 1740 – September 11, 1802) was Brigadier General during the American Revolutionary War, a member of the New York Provincial Congress from 1775 to 1777 and later a member of the New York State Assembly in th ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * Mary Morris (1800–1885), who married Charles Apthorp Van den Heuvel (d. 1879), son of Jan Cornelis Van den Heuvel. * Sally Morris (1801–1848), who died unmarried. * John Morris (1802–1879) * Robert Kane Morris (1808–1833), who died unmarried. * Henry White Morris (1805–1863), who died unmarried. * Harriet Morris (1807–1882), who died unmarried. * Emily Morris (1809–1884), who died unmarried. * Archibald Morris (b. 1811), who died young. Died 30 Sep 1822.From Ancestry.com; "Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803–1915." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2008, 2010. From originals housed at the Philadelphia City Archives. "Death Records." * William Morris (1813–1817), who died young. * Caroline Julia Morris (1814–1888), who married John Stark. * William White Morris (1817–1866), who died unmarried. * Charles Frederick Morris (1819–1874) Morris died in 1849 in New York City.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Thomas 1771 births 1849 deaths Politicians from Philadelphia New York (state) lawyers United States Marshals Members of the New York State Assembly Politicians from Canandaigua, New York Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American lawyers