Robert H. Morris (mayor)
| Robert H. Morris | |
|---|---|
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| 64th Mayor of New York City | |
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In office 1841–1844 |
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| Preceded by | Isaac Varian |
| Succeeded by | James Harper |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 15, 1808 New York City, New York |
| Died | October 24, 1855 (aged 47) New York City, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Washington Seminary |
| Profession | Attorney |
Robert Hunter Morris (February 15, 1808 – October 24, 1855) was an attorney and the 64th Mayor of New York City.
Morris was born in New York City. His father Robert Morris, a prominent judge, moved the family to Claverack, New York, 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 James A. Hamilton and as a member of the New York State Assembly in 1833 and 1834. In 1838, New York Governor William L. Marcy appointed Morris Recorder of New York City, a position equivalent to a deputy mayor. He served in that capacity until 1841, when Governor William H. Seward removed him from office in connection with the Glentworth scandal.
The Glentworth conspiracy involved a plot by tobacco inspector James B. Glentworth to send workers from Pennsylvania 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. Morris, the district attorney, and then-Mayor Isaac Varian feared that documents essential to the ensuing grand jury would be destroyed, and so went personally to seize the documents. Governor Seward removed Morris from office for his actions.
Morris, a Democrat, became involved in the Tammany Hall 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.
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