Robert Hunter Morris (February 15, 1808 – October 24, 1855) was an attorney and the 64th

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

Early career

Morris was born in New York City. His father Robert Morris, a prominent judge, moved the family to

Claverack, New York Claverack is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 6,058 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Results, Claverack town, Columbia County, New York QuickFacts https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/claverackt ...

, where Morris was raised. He attended Washington Seminary, afterwards studying law and attaining admission to the bar. He initially practiced in Columbia County before moving to New York City. He served as an assistant to

U.S. Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

James A. Hamilton and as a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

in 1833 and 1834. In 1838, New York Governor

William L. Marcy William Learned Marcy (December 12, 1786July 4, 1857) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as U.S. Senator, the eleventh Governor of New York, U.S. Secretary of War and the twenty-first U.S. Secretary of State. In the la ...

appointed Morris

Recorder of New York City The recorder of New York City was a municipal officer of New York City from 1683 until 1907. He was at times a judge of the Court of General Sessions, the Court of Special Sessions, and the New York Court of Common Pleas; Vice-President of the Boa ...

, a position equivalent to a deputy mayor. He served in that capacity until 1841, when Governor

William H. Seward William Henry Seward (; May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States senator. A determined opp ...

removed him from office in connection with the Glentworth scandal.

Glentworth incident

The Glentworth conspiracy involved a plot by tobacco inspector James B. Glentworth to send workers from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

to New York under the guise of laying pipes for the city, but in reality to cast votes for Whig presidential candidate

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

. Morris, the

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

, and then-Mayor

Isaac Varian Isaac Leggett Varian (June 25, 1793 – August 10, 1864) was a New York state legislator and the 63rd Mayor of New York City. Political career Varian was a prominent Democrat and led Tammany Hall from 1835 until 1842. He was a member of t ...

feared that documents essential to the ensuing

grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...

would be destroyed, and so went personally to seize the documents. Governor Seward removed Morris from office for his actions.

Later career

Morris, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, became involved in the

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was an American political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society. It became the main local ...

political machine in the early 1840s. He was elected mayor in 1841 by a slim margin, and again in 1842 and 1843 by more substantial margins. While serving as mayor in 1841, Morris took part in the investigation and arrest of John C. Colt for the murder of Samuel Adams. In 1845 Morris was appointed

Postmaster of New York City A post office may have operated in New York City as early as 1687. The United States Postal Service has no information on New York's postmasters prior to the year 1775. The New York City Post Office is first mentioned in Hugh Finlay's journal da ...

, and he served until 1849. In 1852 he became a justice of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

. Morris died in New York City on October 24, 1855. He was buried at St. Ann's Episcopal Church in

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...

References

Bibliography

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Obituary Addresses on the Occasion of the Death of the Hon. Robert H. Morris
'. 1855. Hayes, Hincks, Carey and Kempston. {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Robert H. Mayors of New York City Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly 1808 births 1855 deaths People from Columbia County, New York New York City recorders Claverack College alumni New York Supreme Court justices Postmasters of New York City 19th-century New York state court judges 19th-century mayors of places in New York (state) 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature