Random Wild Life Of Gouverneur Morris, The Most Mysterious Founding Father Of Them All (12 items)

(#10) Morris Grew Up In An Idyllic Estate Named After His Family

The Bronx neighborhood of Morrisania traces its history back to the 1670s, when the Morris family bought 500 acres of land along the Harlem River. When Gouverneur Morris was born on the land in 1752, by that point encompassing some 2,000 acres, it was home mainly to small farms and dairy cattle - until Morris built an enormous mansion for himself.
The Morris clan even offered the family estate to the Continental Congress as a potential site for America's new capital. Today, the neighborhood still contains St. Ann's Church, where Morris is buried.
(#6) Morris Drove Off An Angry Mob With His Peg Leg

Having a peg leg didn't slow Morris down. In fact, his friend and fellow Founding Father John Jay told Morris that he wished his friend "had lost something else." For years, Morris kept seducing married women, even after it cost him a limb. And during his time in France, Morris used his wooden leg to chase off a mob of revolutionaries.
Morris's years in France coincided with the bloodiest period of the French Revolution. According to historian Forrest McDonald, Morris was riding in an ornate carriage with a "lady friend" when an anti-aristocratic mob descended on them. Morris pulled off his leg and shoved it out the window, shouting "Vive la Révolution." The sight distracted the revolutionaries long enough for Morris to speed off in his carriage.
(#5) Morris Bought Marie Antoinette's Furniture And Shipped It To The Bronx

Morris acquired some very strange objects during his time as a diplomat. His tenure as the US minister to France coincided with the most tumultuous period of the French Revolution. As an eye witness to the Reign of Terror, Morris strongly opposed the Revolution, ironically siding with the monarchy. He even attempted to rescue Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette from the revolutionaries who would later execute them.
Perhaps to remember his time in France, Morris bought Antoinette's furniture. The elaborate set, which included an intricately decorated armchair, originally resided at Versailles. During the French Revolution, Morris bought the entire set and shipped it to the Bronx.
(#7) Morris Came Up With "We The People Of The United States"

In 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia to draft a new Constitution. Morris became one of the most important members of the Constitutional Convention, giving more speeches than any other delegate - 173, to be exact. Morris promoted a strong presidency with veto power, as well as an elitist Senate. He also strongly opposed slavery.
Morris was responsible for polishing the final draft of the Constitution, and in doing so created the document's most important line. The original draft read:

We the people of the states of New-Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North-Carolina, South-Carolina, and Georgia, do ordain, declare and establish the following constitution for the government of ourselves and our posterity.
Morris changed it to the much more succinct, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union..."
(#2) Morris Attempted Surgery On His Urethra With A Whalebone, And It Killed Him

Late in life, Morris experienced a blockage in his urethra that gave him trouble urinating. Today, scholars believe he may have been suffering from prostate cancer. The crafty Founding Father took a DIY approach to the problem - he attempted to treat the blockage by sticking a piece of whalebone up his urethra. In the process, he caused a great deal of damage that ultimately contributed to his death.
Days after he died, a Boston newspaper reported that Morris died from "a short but distressing illness."
(#8) Morris Hated Slavery, Unlike Many Other Founding Fathers

The Declaration of Independence famously stated, "All men are created equal." However, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson owned nearly a thousand slaves in total. In sharp contrast, Morris strongly opposed slavery. During the Constitutional Convention, Morris called slavery a "nefarious institution."

He harshly condemned the practice, saying, "Proceed southwardly, and every step you take, through the great regions of slaves, presents a desert increasing with the increasing proportion of these wretched beings."