Robert Morris - 10 things to know with detail
- 1. Robert Morris was an influential American financier and politician who played a key role in the American Revolution and the early years of the United States.
- 2. Morris was born on January 20, 1734, in Liverpool, England, and immigrated to the American colonies with his family as a child.
- 3. He became a successful merchant and land speculator in Philadelphia, where he was known for his business acumen and wealth.
- 4. Morris was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
- 5. During the Revolutionary War, Morris served as the Superintendent of Finance for the Continental Congress, where he played a crucial role in securing funding for the war effort.
- 6. Morris is often credited with helping to finance the final victory at Yorktown in 1781 by using his personal credit to secure loans for the Continental Army.
- 7. After the war, Morris was elected to the United States Senate and served as the senator from Pennsylvania from 1789 to 1795.
- 8. Morris was also a founding member of the Bank of North America, the first chartered bank in the United States, which played a key role in stabilizing the country's finances after the war.
- 9. Despite his early successes, Morris faced financial difficulties later in life and ultimately ended up in debtors' prison in 1798, where he remained until his death in 1806.
- 10. Robert Morris is remembered as a founding father of the United States who made significant contributions to the country's financial and political development, particularly during the critical years of the Revolutionary War.