Gouverneur Morris: Biography from Answers.com Mobile

Gouverneur Morris

(born , Jan. 31, 1752, Morrisania house, Manhattan — died Nov. 6, 1816, Morrisania house) American statesman and financial expert. He was admitted to the bar (1771) and served in the New York Provincial Congress (1775 – 77) and the Continental Congress (1778 – 79). He distrusted the democratic tendencies of colonists who wanted to break with England, but his belief in independence led him to join their ranks. As assistant superintendent of finance (1781 – 85), he proposed the decimal coinage system that became the basis for U.S. currency. A delegate to the Constitutional Convention, he helped write the final draft of the Constitution of the United States. He served as minister to France (1792 – 94) and as a U.S. Senator (1800 – 03), and he was the first chairman of the Erie Canal commission (1810 – 16).

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