Lewis Morris III

Ancestor Number

A101275 »

Date of Birth

April 8, 1726

Place of Birth

Morrisania, Westchester (Bronx) New York, British Colonial America

Date of Death

January 22, 1798

Place of Death

Morrisania, Westchester (Bronx) New York, United States of America

Spouse(s)

Mary Beekman Walton

Children

Catherine (Morris) Lawrence, Mary (Morris) Lawrence, Lewis Morris, Jacob Morris, Margaret (Morris) Doty, William Walton Morris, Helena Magdalena (Morris) Rutherford, James Morris, Staats Morris, Richard Valentine Morris

American Revolution Service

Signer of the Declaration of Independence; delegate to the Continental Congress; Brigadier General in the New York Militia

State of Service

New York

Donor

Members and Associate members of the Captain James Cook Chapter, NSDAR, Sydney, Australia

General Lewis Morris III was born on April 8, 1726, at Morrisania, Westchester (Bronx) New York, British Colonial America.

He was the eldest son of Colonel Lewis Morris II and Katrintje Staats, and grandson of Governor Lewis Morris (royal governor of New Jersey) and Isabella Graham. After an education at Yale, Morris went home to help his father look after the family’s affairs at Morrisania. In 1749 he married Mary Beekman Walton. They had 10 children: Catherine (Morris) Lawrence, Mary (Morris) Lawrence, Lewis Morris, Jacob Morris, Margaret (Morris) Doty, William Walton Morris, Helena Magdalena (Morris) Rutherford, James Morris, Staats Morris, Richard Valentine Morris.. On the death of his father Lewis became the third Lord of Morrisania Manor.

As most of the folks in his neighborhood were Loyalists, Morris’s conversion didn’t happen overnight.

His public service began in the provincial assembly. One of the better examples of his discontent with the changing relationship to the Crown came when New York was hosting a large garrison of British troops who were there theoretically to protect the American colonies. The Crown intended to tax New Yorkers to support troops, and when the assembly refused to vote in favor of this measure, the governor requisitioned the money anyway. Morris was not happy with this outcome, and, more important, he was not quiet about it.

In 1774, when the colonies were choosing delegates to send to the Continental Congress, Lewis was not selected as a representative. New Yorkers still wanted to make peace with the Crown, and voters considered him too unlikely to support compromise. But by spring 1775, circumstances had changed dramatically. The Battle of Lexington had taken place, and a strong voice was needed in Philadelphia. He was sent this time. Ironically, he wasn’t a big talker in Congress, but he worked on the ever-important committees to secure munitions for the troops. Ammunition, gunpowder, the never-ending search for saltpetre – these were Morris’ primary concerns.

In June 1776, he took a leave from his Congress duties to command the militia in Westchester, New York, as a brigadier general. New York was the only colony to abstain from voting on July 2. But a week after the vote passed, he helped lead New York in approving the Declaration of Independence, which it did on July 9. When he returned to Congress in September, he signed the document. After the war he served as a judge and as a state senator. He lobbied hard behind Alexander Hamilton to ratify the Constitution. Lewis Morris III died on January 22, 1798, at Morrisania, Westchester (Bronx) New York, United States of America.

He is buried at Morrisania in the Morris family vault located in the churchyard of St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in what is now called the Mott Haven neighborhood.