Gentleman Revolutionary: Gouverneur Morris, the Rake Who Wrote the Constitution

by Richard Brookhiser

Since 1996, Richard Brookhiser has devoted himself to recovering the Founding for modern Americans. The creators of our democracy had both the temptations and the shortcomings of all men, combined with the talents and idealism of the truly great. Among them, no Founding Father demonstrates the combination of temptations and talents quite so vividly as the least known of the greats, Gouverneur Morris.
His story is one that should be known by every American -- after all, he drafted the Constitution, and his hand lies behind many of its most important phrases. Yet he has been lost in the shadows of the Founders who became presidents and faces on our currency. As Brookhiser shows in this sparkling narrative, Morris's story is not only crucial to the Founding, it is also one of the most entertaining and instructive of all. Gouverneur Morris, more than Washington, Jefferson, or even Franklin, is the Founding Father whose story can most readily touch our hearts, and whose character is most sorely needed today.
He was a witty, peg-legged ladies' man. He was an eyewitness to two revolutions (American and French) who joked with George Washington, shared a mistress with Talleyrand, and lost friends to the guillotine. In his spare time he gave New York City its street grid and New York State the Erie Canal. His keen mind and his light, sure touch helped make our Constitution the most enduring fundamental set of laws in the world. In his private life, he suited himself; pleased the ladies until, at age fifty-seven, he settled down with one lady (and pleased her); and lived the life of a gentleman, for whom grace and humanity were as important as birth. He kept his good humor through war, mobs, arson, death, and two accidents that burned the flesh from one of his arms and cut off one of his legs below the knee.
Above all, he had the gift of a sunny disposition that allowed him to keep his head in any troubles. We have much to learn from him, and much pleasure to take in his company.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, American History, American Revolution, Biography Memoir, Politics

291 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 6, 2003

About the author

Richard Brookhiser, author of Founding Father (Free Press 1996), is a senior editor at National Review and a columnist for The New York Observer.

Reviews

[bup · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it was good, and it's the only bio of Gouverneur I've been able to get my hands on. There's nothing that makes this really sing, but as the guy is the author of such phrases as "We, the people of the United States of America," and the guy who laid out the street plan of Manhattan, he deserves a little time and effort.

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this slim volume for $.50 in a used bookstore, and expected it to be worth just about that much. But I was very pleasantly surprised.

I knew next to nothing about Gouvenour Morris. He figured importantly in a biography of Robert Morris (no relation) because they worked together to shore up America’s finances during the Revolutionary war. But that biography of Robert Morris was so dense I could not finish it. That is probably why I had such low expectations of this book.

However, I found that this Morris was a clever, sanguine and fun-loving man. He may have been the only Founding Father with a good sense of humor. While his intellect was perhaps not as great as some of his companions, he was present at critical junctures, and played a role in the developing nation. He kept a diary which provides great insight and makes excellent reading. Moreover, he served in France during the revolution, there, and his observations of that awful time are valuable.

This biographer is an excellent writer. I found the book, both enjoyable and thought-provoking. Readers with even a passing interest in the revolutionary era will find plenty here to appreciate.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brookhiser lacks the story telling and humanity that Chernow and McCullough have. Morris was a wild character with so much influence on this country. I wish they made a movie about him. Saving people in the French revolution, arguing in Congress, having illicit love affairs, establishing the grid of NYC, working to make the Erie canal, he shaped the world.

[Joshua Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Brookhiser gem, this book exhibits his usual polished and concise prose. Brookheiser sketches the character studies of his subjects so well that the reader feels they've come to know the person as an intimate friend. I found it well worth the effort to become acquainted with this Founder.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my, what a character Gouverneur Morris was - the Founding Father you are least likely to be familiar with. And Richard Brookhiser brings him to life. Two different accidents in his youth left him with a withered arm and a wooden leg, but that did not stop him from being quite the ladies man. Oh, and a successful lawyer, an anchor at the Constitutional Convention, a diplomat to France during the French Revolution, a New York state representative, a force instrumental in pushing for the construction of the Erie Canal and yes, as the subtitle of the book states, the primary writer of the U.S. Constitution. He also wrote the state constitution for New York. As a side job, he proposed a constitution for the revolutionary government of France, but it was not received well.

I will temper your expectations about the writing of the U.S Constitution. Unlike, say, Jefferson's writing of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution did not spring wholly from Morris's mind. But he skillfully pulled together all of the ideas that were agreed to by the other delegates at the Constitutional Convention, organized them, and made logical sense out of them. An impressive work in a very short time.

Throughout his life, he seems to maintained a buoyant attitude. Things didn't seem to drag him down for long, as evidenced by his letters, private notes and diaries. Morris was a remarkable individual, and worth getting to know better.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay biography. Fairly breezy, though Brookhiser can turn a phrase when he wants to. Most people don't realize that Gouverneur Morris basically wrote the constitution, turning the draft into a slimmer and more polished text. He also spent a fair amount of time in France in both private and public capacities, and only married at a relatively old age, to one of the Randolphs of Virginia fame.

Brookhiser has made it his life's work to buttress the reputation and knowledge of the founders (pardon my mild syllepsis). I can't think of a better calling for a secular historian. This is no weighty tome, as mentioned, but does draw some deserved attention to an underrated founding father.

[Vincent T. Ciaramella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I seem to always read a book about a Founding Father around this time of year. I found this book at a used bookstore and I have always wanted to learn about Gouverneur Morris. $7.99 later, I had my book and my founding father.

Let me start with the positives. Brookhiser is an excellent mainstream historian. He doesn't fill his works with unnecessary fluff or filler which I can appreciate. He also writes in a fair and balanced way that doesn't praise or demonize his subject. His writing is crisp and I enjoy his work. So why only two starts.

Well, that isn't something Brookhiser could control. I found the life of Morris boring and for the most part uninteresting. Yes, he was important with his contributions to the Constitution and the French government after Louis XVI was taken from Versailles but that's about it. The rest is the tale on a playboy on the prowl in both the new and old world. The times he lived in were interesting but he himself wasn't. In the end I think I could have read an article on Morris and been okay.

I picked up Brookhiser's new book on John Marshall but I think I am going to take a break from this time period for a bit and revisit it at a later date.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and an admirable man. Author of the Constitution, promoter of the Erie Canal, he was involved in many of the important events of the Revolution and early Republic.

When young, he was burned terribly, losing much of his arm. Those who knew him said he bore the pain and the loss with great stoicism. Later, as an adult, he endured an amputation of one of his legs and then learned from his doctor (who had been absent) that it could probably have been saved. But he never complained or bemoaned his fate. Brookhiser speculates that his rakishness may have stemmed from his need to prove he was still attractive.

When much older he married a younger woman who had been stigmatized by scandal--ignoring people's reactions. One of the last things we learn about him tells us much about him--when writing his will, believing he was to die soon, he left his wife an annuity which increased if she got married because he believed it was more expensive to live as a married couple. He had his flaw and he apparently said some unwise things, but how can you not like a man that does that?

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morris is a fascinating character who deserves more attention for what he accomplished. But Brookhiser's style is at times very difficult to slog through. I'm not sure this book covers Morris' signature achievements in enough depth.

[Brett Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, news about the actual writer of the U.S. Constitution. While James Madison gets credit for authorship, Madison credits Gouverneur Morris who received the often-unreadable legalese from 99 committees contributing to the Constitution to make it accessible. A close friend of Washington, it was the stinging eloquence of Morris’ tongue that got my attention from other books quoting him. As able as John Adams in that talent of face-to-face vaporization of his foes, Morris had a knack for lighting up the room with the burning ego of fools made public. What author Brookhiser notes as “his ability to provoke, and his delight in doing so, whenever anyone showed an arrogance equal to his own.”

In one of Morris’ 173 addresses at the months-long Constitutional Convention (and the most, while Madison spoke 161 times), Morris stood to face the southern states who wanted slaves with no rights, but slave bodies counted in favor of their representation in Congress. To which Morris responded in a manner we cannot imagine from today’s truck stop representatives:

“The admission of slaves into representation, when fairly explained, comes to this: that the inhabitant of Georgia and South Carolina who goes to the coast of Africa and, in defense of the most sacred laws of humanity, tears away his fellow creatures from their dearest connections and damns them to the most cruel bondages, shall have more votes in a government instituted for the protection of the rights of mankind than the citizen of Pennsylvania or New Jersey who views with laudable horror so nefarious a practice.” Ouch. Take that, fake-Christian slave owners. If only there were such a mind attached to its flame-throwing tongue today, he’d have even more liars to torch. A fine book.

[dr_set · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morris, much like Hamilton, is a paradoxical figure: a founding father of the world’s most successful democracy that did not believe in “the people” and by extension on its rule.

Of democracy he said: “In the degenerate state to which democracy never fails to reduce a nation, it is almost impossible to for a good man to govern, even could he get into power, or for a bad man to govern well”.

A most surprising statement coming from the author of the Constitution.

He may have not been a democrat, but as a lawyer he did believe in rights and freedom and was always an opponent of slavery both in word and deed.

As an envoy to France during the Terror of the French revolution he provided and sober and realistic chronicle of the events in stark contrast to Jefferson’s highly idealistic portray.

Morris lucid and prescient comments from this period in other biographies of the more famous founding fathers are what motivated me to read this book, unfortunately the pages devoted to it are rater brief and his quotes much to sparse.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, depicting in an easy to read manner the life of a character that was as picturesque as he was controversial.

[Bob Lundquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot going on during the eighteenth century: the Seven Years War, the Revolutionary War, the French Revolution, Napoleon, and the War of 1812; and these are only the major events. To have been alive must have whiplashed a lot of people with a lot of ups and downs. Maybe not so much for the working and farming class, but certainly for the ruling and elite classes. Morris was born at the beginning of all this and got to experience them all. He was heavily involved in New York politics and more during the Revolutionary War. He wrote the U. S. Constitution and witnessed events during the French Revolution. He toured Europe and stayed out of the way of Napoleon. Then he came back to the U. S. in time for the War of 1812 which he did not like and a supporter of the Erie Canal.

Brookhiser’s book is a good biography of Morris and his political and romantic exploits. There are good explanations of Morris’ travels and thoughts and opinions on many topics. Morris, who had some outrageous ideas, is elevated to a higher status in all the events described above. Virtually no one knows of him and Brookhiser writes a good story to make people know and respect his work and shenanigans.

[David Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I place Gouverneur Morris in the category of "supporting cast" to the Founding Fathers. He appears as a character in just about every biography of the others.

But, boy, what a character. Madison was the "Father of the Constitution" but Morris wrote it. He cleaned up the text that others wrote and added the preamble. He was instrumental in the creation of the Erie Canal. He devised the grid structure of Manhattan streets. He was in France during their Revolution and saved peoples' lives.

He was a happy man, who spent half his life chasing women and building wealth. Although brought up in a slaveholding household, he recognized that the evils of slavery would profoundly test the nation he helped into existence. He was against the three-fifths rule.

This book is a bit thin, but I suspect that's due to limited source material, not down to a lack of achievements.

If you are a student of the founding of the USA, this will interest you.

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I see Richard Brookhiser on a book, I know to grab it (he's also quite available on Twitter!). He always attacks historical figures in a wide but short way. This was an interesting subject I've always heard mentioned in the context of the Revolutionary/Constitutional period, so I was interested in a deep dive. In some ways, I was both satisfied and disappointed. The book cover the Revolution/Constitutional period, the French Revolution, and then the 1812-ish/Erie Canal era. I was surprised to learn he was vital in getting the canal started and learned a lot about New York politics/power. But it did seem his constitutional contribution goes by quickly - but I suppose that's why this book is short-ish and not a huge tome. If you're interested in early American history, this will certainly give you fascinating new information.

[Edith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendously readable and thoughtful biography of the extremely humane gentleman who knocked the U. S. Constitution into shape--and it wasn't the first constitution he'd seen through its infant struggles. What a remarkable man, and what a remarkably buoyant temperament. He adored Washington, who loved him; was at the deathbed of Hamilton; was an early admirer of Lafayette; was close to John Jay and Robert Livingston. Witty, erudite, terribly attractive to women in spite of his wooden leg and terribly wounded arm, principled, moderate--and elitist, impatient and vain. Not the least interesting thing about him was his marriage, relatively late in life to Anne Cary Randolph, a cousin of Jefferson's and of John Marshall, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the center of a 16-year-old scandal.

Highly recommended; Morris should be much better known.

[Marilaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gouverneur Morris polished the Constitution after he hammered out the contents along with Madison, Hamilton and other Revolutionary patriots. He wrote the preamble on his own. That phrase we remember so well, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union ... ", this was the work of Gouverneur Morris.

The book is subtitled, The Rake Who Wrote the Constitution. With a peg leg and a disfigured arm, he was still a favorite of the ladies. This was a remarkable man and it's a blessing that so many of his letters remain. In addition, his early biographers were able to interview his contemporaries, leaving us with a rich source of information about and insight into this spirited patriot.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great used bookstore find! This biography of Gouverneur Morris, one of the founding fathers we don't often hear about, is informative and entertaining. Morris (whose estate Morrisania, is one of the sections of the Bronx), wrote the Constitution, was our ambassador to France, and, despite having a peg leg, was quite the womanizer.

This well-written biography will give you another view of the founding of our country--the arguments about its creation, slavery, and the rise of the two party system. Morris was a charming man, one who didn't hold grudges, and used his talents for our country--and his own amusement.

Read it.

[David Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful history of one of the many second-tier American revolutionaries, this book is (unusually!) exactly the right length for a casual history fan. It tells the story of Morris's life, places him and his actions and ideas in a broader context, and doesn't get bogged down in details. Nothing about this book will change the way you look at the world, but if you're interested in the American Revolution and Early Republic, this provides helpful perspective.

[Mike Brisson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interest look at one of the most interesting founding fathers that no one talks about. There are some pieces of Morris' life that get left out of the wikipedia article that are covered well in this book. Ultimately, Morris did not life quite as wild and principled a life as I had originally though, but in many ways that makes the story of his life even more interesting.

[Richard Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not know that Gouverneur Morris drafted the Constitution, in particular the Preamble; "We the People. . ."

[G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read about a relatively unknown but important patriot. Bookhiser makes the point he was in the middle of everything in his times.

[Nancy-Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one!

[Kalman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting and quick read. I learned quite a bit about Gouverneur Morris.

[Brian E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

He is another forgotten founder that should be learned about.

[Jonathan Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn’t that great and a pamphlet on the subject might have been a better approach.

[? · Rating 5 out of 5]

We the people...

[John.provo · Rating 4 out of 5]

French Revolution, Burr v Hamilton, colonial sex scandals, canals and more. This wasn’t a good not a great read but it l was left wondering why there were t a bunch more books about this guy.

[Renn Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without Morris and his financial backing, the break from Great Britton would not have happened.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, slim biography of Morris, who remains an obscure founding father to most in spite of having been the drafter of the U.S. Constitution as well as an proponent of independence, an advocate of the kind of debt relief plan that Hamilton ultimately used to save the young nation, and the US ambassador to France during the revolution — all while seducing a number of eligible women in spite of his wooden leg. It was an eventful life — but, in a volume this slim, there’s little space to do more than chronicle it. Morris must have been a fascinating, complex figure, but I put the book down feeling that I now knew more about him, but didn’t know him (in sharp contrast to, say, Chernow on Hamilton, Brands on Franklin, Ellis on Jefferson, or even Brookheiser himself on Washington). Not bad, but really strictly for revelation/early-republic aficionados.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gouverneur Morris was a writer but also the editor of the Constitution. He took some of the prolixity that was proposed and condensed it to something relatively understandable. This is a biography of the gentleman and thus covers more than the period of the Constitution's writing and 'endorsement' by the requisite number of states. Morris kept a diary while he was in France so Brookhiser provides such ideas as France situation before it's Revolution "resembled the United States's at the opening of the Constitutional Convention--war debt; a political system that blocked any revenue stream; a call for change." The biographer quotes Morris's advice to DeWitt Clinton after the death of VP George Clinton "[I]n the degenerate state to which democracy never fails to reduce a nation, it is almost impossible for a good man to govern, even could he get into power,or for a bad man to govern well." It seems an apt description to the current political situation. What I find extremely interesting for a gentleman of his era was Morris's treatment of his wife in his will. He gave her "a life interest in his property, plus an annuity of $2,600 a tear ($32,500 today). If she married again, her annuity would be increased to $3,200, 'to defray the increased expenditure, which may attend that condition.'" In an era when women were considered chattel more openly that they are now this was an interesting facet to his philosophy.