James Morris ( – September 7, 1827) was an American lawyer who served as Sheriff of New York County.

Early life

Morris born at

Morrisania, New York Morrisania ( ) is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern Bronx, New York City, New York. Its boundaries are the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, Crotona-Prospect Avenue to the east, East 163rd Street to the south, and Webster Avenue ...

in . He was the fourth son of Mary ( Walton) Morris and

Founding Father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., political system ...

Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Conti ...

, third lord of the manor of Morrisania. His father was a prominent landowner who was a signer of the U.S.

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

as a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

from New York. Following the British conquest of New York in 1776, the family was driven from Morrisania, first to Philadelphia then to Rocky Hill near

Princeton, New Jersey The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...

. He likely completed preparatory studies in

Nassau Hall Nassau Hall, colloquially known as Old Nassau, is the oldest building at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. In 1783 it served as the United States Capitol building for four months. ...

's grammar school before attending

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

from which he graduated in 1784. While at Princeton, he was a member of the American Whig Society.

Career

After Princeton, he began to study law and was admitted to the bar in the fall of 1787. In 1797, he was one of three justices appointed for trial of cases and in December 1798, he was appointed to the post of Sheriff of New York County and City, which he was reappointed in each of the two succeeding years.

Personal life

On February 1, 1796, Morris was married to Helen Van Cortlandt (1768–1812), a daughter of Augustus Van Cortlandt and Catherine ( Barclay) Van Cortlandt. Her paternal grandparents were Frederick Van Cortlandt and Frances (

Jay Jays are a paraphyletic grouping of passerine birds within the family Corvidae. Although the term "jay" carries no taxonomic weight, most or all of the birds referred to as jays share a few similarities: they are small to medium-sized, usually ...

) Van Cortlandt. Her maternal grandparents were Andrew Barclay and Helena (née

Roosevelt Roosevelt most often refers to two American presidents: * Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919, president 1901–1909), 26th president of the United States * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945, president 1933–death), 32nd president of the United State ...

) Barclay. Together, they were the parents of twelve children, including: * James Van Cortlandt Morris (1796–1843), who married Catherine Charlton Post, a daughter of Dr.

Wright Post Wright Post (February 19, 1766 – June 14, 1828) was an American surgeon. Post was born at North Hempstead, Long Island on February 19, 1766. He studied medicine for six years in New York and London, and began to practice in New York in 1786. ...

, in 1824. * Augustus Frederick Morris (1797–1859), who married her cousin Harriet Munro, a daughter of

Peter Jay Munro Peter Jay Munro (January 10, 1767 – September 22, 1833) was an American lawyer and Federalist politician from New York. Early life Munro was born on January 10, 1767, in Rye in the Province of New York in what was then British America. He was t ...

, in 1823. After her death in 1836, he married Jane Catherine Maitland, a daughter of Robert Maitland in 1839. * Catharine Morris (1799–1838), who married, as his second wife, Dr. Alexander Hodgdon Stevens, a son of merchant

Ebenezer Stevens Ebenezer Stevens (August 11, 1751 – September 2, 1823) was a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, a major general in the New York state militia, and a New York City merchant. Early life Stevens was ...

, in 1825. * Helena Van Cortlandt Morris (1801–1852), who married her cousin, Richard Rutherfurd Morris, son of Col. Lewis Morris, in 1823. * Richard Lewis Morris (1805–1880), who married Elizabeth Fish, a daughter of Adjutant General

Nicholas Fish Nicholas Fish (August 28, 1758 – June 20, 1833) was an American Revolutionary War soldier. He was the first Adjutant General of New York. Early life Fish was born on August 28, 1758, into a wealthy New York City family. He was the son of Jo ...

and Elizabeth ( Stuyvesant) Fish, and sister to

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Hamilton Fish Hamilton Fish (August 3, 1808September 7, 1893) was an American statesman who served as the sixteenth governor of New York from 1849 to 1850, a United States senator from New York from 1851 to 1857, and the 26th U.S. secretary of state from ...

, in 1829. * Robert Rutherfurd Morris (1807–1881), who married Hannah Edgar, a daughter of William Edgar Jr. and Cornelia ( LeRoy) Edgar, in 1834. * Sarah Louisa Morris (1809–1831), who married Edward Augustus LeRoy, son of

Herman LeRoy Herman LeRoy (January 16, 1758 – March 31, 1841) was an American merchant, shipowner and banker. Early life He was born on January 16, 1758, in New York City in what was then the Province of New York, a part of British America. He was the son o ...

and Hannah ( Cornell) LeRoy, in 1828. * William Henry Morris (1810–1896), who married Hannah Cornell Newbold, a daughter of Thomas Newbold and Catharine ( LeRoy) Newbold, in 1834. After her death in 1842, he married Caroline Halsted in 1846. After her death in 1848, he married Ella Birckhead, in 1850. * Charlotte Hay Morris (1812–1838), who married Richard Frederick Kemble, a son of Peter Kemble, in 1836. Morris died in 1827.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, James 1760s births 1827 deaths

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

People from the Bronx American people of Dutch descent American people of English descent Princeton University alumni People from the Province of New York Sheriffs of New York County, New York