Morris Robinson (September 2, 1784 – May 5, 1849) was an American businessman from a family of prominent

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

s; Robinson was a founder and the first president of the

Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York (also known as Mutual of New York or MONY) was the oldest continuous writer of insurance policies in the United States. Incorporated in 1842, it was headquartered at 1740 Broadway, before becoming a ...

Early life

Robinson was born on September 2, 1784. He was a son of Lt.-Col. Beverly Robinson, a

United Empire Loyalists United Empire Loyalist (UEL; or simply Loyalist) is an honorific title which was first given by Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, the 1st Lord Dorchester, the governor of Province of Quebec (1763–1791), Quebec and Governor General, governor ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, and Anna Dorothea Barclay. Among his siblings were elder brother, Beverley Robinson, who married Frances Duer (and elder sister of Morris' wife Henrietta), and Roxanne Robinson, who married Joseph T. Mabie. His paternal grandparents were merchant

Beverley Robinson Beverley Robinson (11 January 1721 – 9 April 1792), was a Virginia-born soldier who became a wealthy colonist of the Province of New York and is best known as a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War. Robinson married Susanna Philips ...

and Susanna Philipse (the eldest surviving daughter of

Frederick Philipse II Frederick Philipse II ( – July 26, 1751) was a merchant, landowner, and politician in British America. He was the only son of Maria Sparkes, daughter of the Governor of Barbados, and Philip Philipse, eldest son of Frederick Philipse I, 1st ...

, 2nd Lord of

Philipsburg Manor Philipsburg Manor (sometimes referred to as Philipse Manor) was a manor located north of New York City in Westchester County in the Province of New York. Dutch-born Frederick Philipse I and two partners made the initial purchase of land that ...

). Among his large extended family was uncle Sir

Frederick Philipse Robinson General Sir Frederick Philipse Robinson, GCB (September 1763 – 1 January 1852) was a British Army officer who served in the American War of Independence and the Napoleonic Wars. His father, Colonel Beverley Robinson, was a Virginian who move ...

, a prominent

. His maternal grandparents were the Rev. Henry Barclay, rector of Trinity Church, and Mary Rutgers Barclay. His uncle was

Thomas Henry Barclay Thomas Henry Barclay (October 12, 1753 – April 21, 1830) was an American lawyer who became one of the United Empire Loyalists in Nova Scotia and served in the colony's government. Early life Thomas Henry Barclay came from a prominent New York ...

Speaker of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia The Speaker for the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia is the presiding Officer of the House of Assembly. Danielle Barkhouse is the current Speaker of the 64th General Assembly of Nova Scotia. The Speaker presides over the proceedings of the Assem ...

Career

In 1841, Robinson and

Alfred Shipley Pell Alfred Shipley Pell (April 27, 1805 – May 21, 1869) was an American insurance executive who co-founded the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York. Early life Pell was born in Westchester County, New York, on April 27, 1805. He was the second ...

, who had worked for the Mutual Safety Insurance Company, decided to form a life insurance company with Robinson as president. They received a charter for the

from the state of New York for The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York on April 12, 1842, and opened the doors for business less than a year later on February 1, 1843. Robinson served as president of Mutual Life until his death in May 1849 after which he was succeeded by Joseph B. Collins.

Personal life

On December 1, 1813, Robinson was married to Henrietta Elizabeth Duer (1790–1839), a daughter of Continental Congressman William Duer and Lady Catherine Alexander Duer (a daughter of Sarah (

Livingston Livingston or Livingstonemay refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North Am ...

) Alexander and

William Alexander, Lord Stirling William Alexander, also known as Lord Stirling (December 27, 1725 – January 15, 1783), was a Scottish-American major general during the American Revolutionary War. He held a claim to be the male heir to the Scottish title of Earl of Stirl ...

). Among her siblings were Justice

William Alexander Duer William Alexander Duer (September 8, 1780 – May 30, 1858) was an American lawyer, jurist, and educator from New York City who served as the President of Columbia University from 1829 to 1842. He was also a slaveholder, owning numerous enslaved ...

and jurist

John Duer John Duer (October 7, 1782 – August 8, 1858) was a New York attorney, jurist, and co-founder of Children's Village. Biography Born in Albany, New York on October 7, 1782, he was the son of William and Catherine Duer. William Alexander Duer wa ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * Catherine Alexander Robinson (b. 1814), who married Alexander Slidell-Mackenzie, son of bank president John Slidell and brother of U.S. Senator

John Slidell John Slidell (1793July 9, 1871) was an American politician, lawyer, slaveholder, and businessman. Database at A native of New York, Slidell moved to Louisiana as a young man. He was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, U.S. House ...

and Jane Slidell (wife of Commodore

Matthew C. Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a United States Navy officer who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War. He led the Perry Expedition that Bakumatsu, ended Japan' ...

), in 1835. * Henry Barclay Robinson (b. 1816), who married Cather Elizabeth Hudson, daughter of Joseph Hudson, in 1845. After her death in 1846, he married Maria Antoinette Winthrop, a daughter of Thomas C. Winthrop, Esq. in 1855. * Susan Phillipse Robinson (b. 1818), who married Dr. George M. Odell in 1862. * Frances Duer Robinson (1822), who married Edward Jones in 1841. * Harriet Duer Robinson (b. 1828), who married Albert Gallatin II, son of James Gallatin (president of the Gallatin National Bank) and grandson of

Albert Gallatin Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (January 29, 1761 – August 12, 1849) was a Genevan-American politician, diplomat, ethnologist, and linguist. Often described as "America's Swiss Founding Father", he was a leading figure in the early years ...

(the 4th

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

who served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

), in 1849. His wife Henrietta died in 1839. Robinson died in New York City on May 5, 1849, and his funeral was held at St. Thomas Church.

Descendants

Through his eldest daughter, he was a grandfather of Gen. Ranald Slidell Mackenzie (1840–1889) and Lt.-Com.

Alexander Slidell MacKenzie Alexander Slidell Mackenzie (April 6, 1803 – September 13, 1848), born Alexander Slidell, was a United States Navy officer, famous for his 1842 decision to execute three suspected mutineers aboard a ship under his command in the Somers Mutin ...

(1842–1867).

References

;Notes ;Sources {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Morris 1784 births 1849 deaths Businesspeople from New York (state) American businesspeople in insurance American corporate directors American bankers 19th-century American businesspeople Canadian emigrants to the United States