Morgan Lewis (1754-1844) served as New York’s Attorney General from 1791 to 1792, making significant contributions to New York State during its formative years. He later served as the third Governor of New York, among other prominent political, military and social positions.
Born in 1754 in the city of New York, Lewis served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. From September 1, 1776, to the end of the war he was a colonel and the Quartermaster General for the Northern Department.
After the war, Lewis moved to Albany and transitioned into law and politics. He became an attorney and was elected to serve in the New York State Assembly (1789, 1792).
As Attorney General from 1791 until 1801, Lewis helped lay the groundwork for the legal framework of New York. His tenure was characterized by a commitment to the rule of law, including working to continue to ensure the smooth operation of New York’s legal institutions.
October 28, 1801 he became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New York (in New York a trial court, not a court of last resort).
He defeated then Vice President Aaron Burr in the election to succeed George Clinton as third Governor of New York. In that 1804 election he was largely responsible for splitting the Jeffersonian Republican Party in New York into “Lewisites” (allies of Lewis) and the “Clintonians” (allies of New York Mayor DeWitt Clinton).
During his time as Governor he implemented important reforms, including advancements in infrastructure and the state’s financial system. His leadership during this period helped shape modern governance in New York. He also restructured the state’s militia system and supported improvements in education.
On April 30, 1807, he was defeated in his run for re-election by Daniel D. Tompkins, also a future vice president. Lewis returned home to Staatsburg, Dutchess County, where he turned his attention to agriculture and established a short lived cloth factory.
Although his father Francis Lewis had been a signatory of the Declaration of Independence which declared “all men are created equal” Lewis Morgan enslaved people of African descent at what is now the Staatsburgh State Historic Site.
Before the War of 1812, Lewis declined the office of Secretary of War under President James Madison and returned military service as Quartermaster General in Western New York.
During the war he was in command at the Battle of Fort George, the westernmost of the British fortified posts on Lake Ontario. Although the fort was captured, Lewis ordered Colonel Winfield Scott to halt pursuit of the defeated British troops, and was later criticized for letting them escape to fight another day.
Later, as commander of Upstate New York, Lewis used some of his own money to secure the release of the American prisoners of war. He was discharged as a Major General after the war on June 15, 1815.
Lewis helped to found New York University in 1831/32 as a Freemason served as Grand Master in the Grand Lodge of New York from 1830 to 1843. From 1832 to 1835, he was the president of the New-York Historical Society.
He was also an original member of the New York Society of the Cincinnati and served as its President General from 1839 to his death in the city of New York on April 7, 1844.
Source link
