Show 1 Footnotes I By REV THOMAS B. B GREGORY I 4 ROBERT MORRIS flobert Morris the eminent financier of the American Revolution Revolution tion was born at Liverpool Engl England En- En gl gland d January 20 1 1734 34 Ins Ills father was a merchant engaged en- en i gagel in the tobacco trade with this country TIme The nature of the business business busi- busi ness necessItated frequent trips acrOss the Atlantic and on one of these occasions he brought with hIm his son son Robert then in his thirteenth year I Soon after the death father Robert entered the counting house of Charles Willing a distinguished merchant of Philadelphia After serving an apprenticeship with thIs firm his patron latron established him hini in business in conjunction with his hisson son Thomas Willing Under Under- the supervision of nobert flobert Morris the firm rose to the summit of commercial reputation Their enterprise an and credit was the wonder won won- Jer der or of American business Although against his personal interests in- in I Morris warmly opposed the stamp act anti signed the non non- I importation agreement ot of 1765 In tIle the same year he was elected as a member of congress from Penns Pennsylvania vanla The They believed in him nor nOlO was their faith in him misplaced for tor lie he faithfully upheld the rights of the colonists against time the encroachments of the British crown In 1776 lie he voted on July I 1 against the Declaration or of Independence mile mile- thinking that tho time for such a a. manIfesto had not arrived but when he found that the lec- lec was adopted he jo joyfully signed it an and 1 supported the war to establish it lIe got bus busy at once In 1780 General GreEne was in such distress in South Carolina that lie he found It almost impossible to keep his troops oops I together a gentleman of that state named Hall came forward and advanced advanced ad- ad adI I the n necessary essary sums to enable enable en- en able him hina to stem the danger langeI It was afterward discovered that Hall Hail hail had simply ly as the agent ot of Robert nobert Morris When hen in 1791 1781 the office of financier was established by congress congress con con- gress Morris was elected to fm fill the important place One of his ve very first acts was to st e-st a a. national bank The BanI of North America was thus founded he himself investing ser ser- eral thousand dollars in the The state was at this time half a dollars in debt doot Mom ris is b by restorIng tIme the credIt of the nation and exercising proper coon coon- omny reduced the expenses of the I war wal to about lIe lcd contIn to superintend 1 the I Inn department t 11 until September er o v. v 0 ne resigned lila office freely p pledging himself to meet all outstanding notes as the they became due Morris sat In the United States senate until 1795 ills IUs long continuance con con- in the serrie sef of s coon coun- try hy had great eat contusion confusion in hIs private affairs This Pius reason 1 lie he gave as an excuse to th the city lt of Philadelphia when he declined its request to o represent it In congress lIe had engaged largely In land sp speculations and now had lost his fortune Thrown Into tho debtors debtors' prison the man who had saved his country by freely pledging lila personal per r send credit for tor army supplies su to the amount or of 1 languIshed for several years lIe iIo died om 01 Ma II S 8 1806 Morris was vas n. n noble patriot Like tile the he sacrIficed himself for the safety of the tho com com- 1 Copyright CoP Press Publishing Coni- Coni Deny pa Now cw York rork EV l ing World Worl 19 3 |