- March 6, 1809, 217 years ago — Death of Thomas Heyward Jr..
- March 6, 1724, 302 years ago — Birth of Henry Laurens, President of the Continental Congress.
- March 7, 1707, 319 years ago — Birth of Stephen Hopkins, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
- March 7, 1699, 327 years ago — Birth of Susanna Boylston Adams, mother of John Adams.
Gouverneur Morris
MORRIS, Gouverneur, statesman and author of the final draft of the U.S. Constitution, born in Morrisania, N.Y., 31 January, 1752; died there, 6 November, 1816.
He graduated from King’s College (now Columbia University) in 1768 and became active in New York politics. Morris served in the Continental Congress and helped draft the Articles of Confederation. He lost a leg in an accident in 1780 but remained politically active.
At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Morris played a key role in shaping the document and penned its final language. He later served as U.S. Minister to France during the French Revolution and witnessed its upheavals firsthand.
Morris was known for his wit, eloquence, and aristocratic bearing. Though sometimes controversial, his contributions to American constitutionalism were profound and enduring.
Source:
Wilson, James Grant, and John Fiske, eds. Appleton’s Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1887. Patriot Echoes Archive
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