Morris, Gouverneur (1752–1816)

American diplomat and politician. Morris originally opposed separation of the colonies from Britain, and attempted to mediate between Loyalists and more radical elements in New York that demanded independence. He joined the patriot party in 1775, and sat in the Continental Congress 1778–79. He attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787, where he was an outspoken supporter for a strong central government; he wanted a powerful chief executive, elected for life, with the power to appoint members of the senate. As assistant financier to the federal superintendent of finance Robert Morris (appointed 1781), he virtually founded the national coinage.

Morris was born in New York State, and became a barrister in 1771. After the Constitutional Convention, he travelled in France, England, and Germany, and was minister to France 1792–94. He secured the post of assistant financier to Morris after publishing a series of essays on American finances in the Pennsylvania Packet in 1780. He was US senator for New York 1800–02, and chaired the Erie Canal Commission 1810.