Gouverneur Morris

by Theodore Roosevelt

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Genres: Nonfiction

392 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1898

About the author

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., also known as T.R., and to the public (but never to friends and family) as Teddy, was the twenty-sixth President of the United States, and a leader of the Republican Party and of the Progressive Movement.

He fathered Alice Roosevelt Longworth, a daughter.

He became the youngest President in United States history at the age of 42. He served in many roles including Governor of New York, historian, naturalist, explorer, author, and soldier (posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001 for his role at the Battle of San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War).

Roosevelt is most famous for his personality: his energy, his vast range of interests and achievements, his model of masculinity, and his "cowboy" persona.

Reviews

[Jerry Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that TR’s voice definitely comes out in his biography of Gouverneur Morris, revolutionary leader from New York. Sometimes, one felt that the book was more about TR and his views of the nation’s destiny, westward expansion, and the importance of a strong navy than of Morris’s life. Still, after knowing that TR wasn’t given access to Morris’s personal papers by Morris’s descendants, I gave him some slack on going off subject at times. Overall, it was an energetic and entertaining read, and you might learn a couple of things about Gouverneur Morris from it.

[Evan Brandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I'll say this for Teddy, he is no dispassionate observer.
He is not shy about injecting his opinion into his historical writing.

... And 200 pages later, that observation has been confirmed in spades. Roosevelt never stops injecting himself and his views into the life story of someone else he never met.
And although I am no fan of the French, if I read one more time how they "lacked masculinity" in their actions as compared to Morris, I was going to bring him up on charges of sexual harassment.
Nonetheless, I know now more about one of our forgotten founding fathers and, like the author, he was quite a character.
A Federalist who wrote the final version of the Constitution (Madison always gets the credit because his notes form the basis of history's understanding of how the document got written); Morris had a wooden leg, was fearless and was the only diplomat to stay in Paris during the worst terrors of the French revolution.
Sadly, this proud legacy was sullied by extreme partisanship when, in later life, he supported the sucessionist impulses of New England and the north prior to, during, and after the War of 1812 and had hoped the convention held in New Haven, CT would have called for a sucession.
Needless to say, TR takes him to task for that. The book left me wishing for a more modern, more scholarly, less opinionated portrait, but you take what you can get for $1 in an antique store.