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Lewis Gouverneur Morris

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Lewis Gouverneur Morris II
Born(1882-06-04)June 4, 1882
Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
DiedAugust 14, 1967(1967-08-14) (aged 85)
Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
Alma materHarvard University
Spouses
Nathalie Lorillard Bailey
​
​
(m. 1908; died 1935)​
​
​
(m. 1946)​
Children2
Parent(s)Francis Morris
Harriet Hall Bedlow
RelativesLewis G. Morris (grandfather)

Lewis Gouverneur Morris II (June 4, 1882 – August 14, 1967) was a banker and prominent social figure in New York and Newport Society.[1]

Early life

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Morris was born on June 4, 1882, in Newport, Rhode Island. He was the son of Francis Morris (1845–1883), a Knickerbocker gentleman and descendant of Gouverneur Morris (a signer of the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution), and his wife Harriet Hall Bedlow (1849–1923).[2] After his father's death, his mother married John Rex Guelph-Norman (1861–1932), who claimed to be the son of King Edward VII and rightful heir to the throne,[3] in 1898.[4] They divorced after she discovered he had a wife in India.[5][6]

His paternal grandparents were Lewis Gouverneur Morris,[7][8] for whom he was named, and Emily (née Lorillard) Morris (1819–1850).[9][10] His maternal grandparents were Henry Bedlow (1821–1914) and Josephine Maria DeWolf (née Homer) Bedlow (1831–1896). He was first cousin of Emily Lorillard Morris (b. 1873),[11] who married Rolaz Horace Gallatin (d. 1948),[12][13] a cousin of Albert Eugene Gallatin and nephew of Commodore Elbridge Thomas Gerry, in April 1896.[14]

Morris graduated from Harvard University in 1906.[15][16]

Career

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He was a former member of the New York Stock Exchange.[17]

In 1915, Morris organized Morris & Pope, an investment firm.[18] In the spring of 1917, the firm failed which left Morris heavily in debt.[19] He was imprisoned in Westchester County, from June 18, 1921, until October 5, 1921,[1] as a debtor.[15] He was eventually discharged as an honest insolvent debtor.[1][19]

New York directory listings indicate that, after his failure in 1917, Morris did not re-entered the business world.[15]

Morris served as a trustee of the Museum of the City of New York.[1]

Residences

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See also: Lewis G. Morris House
Morris' New York residence, 1015 Park Avenue

In 1913, Morris bought the southeast corner of 85th Street and Park Avenue from Amos Pinchot.[15] Morris and his wife hired Ernest Flagg who designed and built their home, which was completed in 1914.[15] The home is in a "Federal style, in trim proportions with leaded glass windows of unusual shape and a roof balustrade and square cupola."[15]

In 1904, Morris bought the former summer home of his maternal grandfather in Newport, Rhode Island.[20] The large villa in the Gothic Revival style known as "Malbone".[21] Malbone was designed by American architect Alexander Jackson Davis in 1848-1850.[22] The house's interiors had been remodeled in 1875 under the supervision of noted local architect Dudley Newton who added a "massive carved oak staircase."[23]

Personal life

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In 1908,[16][24] he married Alletta Nathalie Lorillard Bailey (1883–1935),[25] an amateur architectural historian and photographer.[22][26] She was the daughter of James Muhlenberg Bailey (1839–1897) and Alletta Remsen (née Lynch) Bailey (1870–1930),[27] and a granddaughter of Nathaniel Platt Bailey. She was also a descendant of Robert Livingston, first Lord of Livingston Manor, Robert R. Livingston of Clermont.[25] They were actually distant cousins, both being great-grandchildren of Jacob Lorillard, the son of Pierre Abraham Lorillard, founder of the Lorillard Tobacco Company.[16] Together, they were the parents of:[28][29]

  • Alletta Nathalie Lorillard Morris (1912–1986),[30][31] who was married to Byrnes MacDonald, an investor,[32][31] in 1935.[33] After his death, she married Peter McBean (1910–1997).[34]
  • Frances Elizabeth Morris (1915–1994),[35] who married Morton W. Smith, a breeder of thoroughbred horses,[36] in 1954.[37]

In 1946, Morris married Anita Rhinelander (née Stewart) de Braganza (1886–1977) in New York City.[38] She was the daughter of Annie McKee Armstrong (1864–1925) and William Rhinelander Stewart (1852–1929), the niece of State Senator Lispenard Stewart, and the widow of Prince Miguel, Duke of Viseu (1878–1923). She was the mother of three children from her first marriage, Nadejda de Braganza (1910–1946),[39] John de Braganza (1912–1991),[40][41] and Miguel de Braganza (1915–1996).[42]

Morris died at the age of 85, on August 14, 1967, at his home in Newport, Rhode Island.[1] His widow also died at their home in Newport in 1977.[43]

Descendants

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Through his daughter Elizabeth, he was the grandfather of Alletta Morris Smith, a trustee of the Rhode Island Historical Society and lifetime member of the Newport Historical Society and of the Redwood Library,[44][45] who married William J. Cooper Jr. in 1981.[17][36]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "LEWIS G. MORRIS, 85, EX-MUSEUM TRUSTEE". The New York Times. 15 August 1967. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  2. ^ The American Historical Magazine. Publishing Society of New York. 1906. p. 437. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  3. ^ Guelph, John R. Wettin (1910). The Memoirs of Prince John De Guelph, rex et imperator de jure of Great Britain and Ireland;. New York, B. W. Dodge & company. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  4. ^ The United States Army and Navy Journal and Gazette of the Regular and Volunteer Forces. Army and Navy Journal Incorporated. 1897. p. 591. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Prince de Guelph". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 27, 1909. p. 10. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  6. ^ "'PRINCE DE GUELPH' MISSING.; Little Difficulty Over His Bill Sends Him from the St. Regis". The New York Times. 27 March 1909. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  7. ^ Reynolds, Cuyler; Cutter, William Richard (1914). Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Building of a Nation | Vol. III. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  8. ^ "Lewis Gouverneur Morris Mansion". collections.mcny.org. Museum of the City of New York. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  9. ^ "DIED. Morris". The New York Times. 20 September 1900. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  10. ^ "LEWIS G. MORRIS DEAD: Member of Distinguished American Family - Advanced Harlem Ship Canal Project" (PDF). The New York Times. 20 September 1900.
  11. ^ John Conrad Weiser Family Association (1960). The Weiser family: a genealogy of the family of John Conrad Weiser, the elder (d. 1746); prepared on the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of his arrival in America, 1710-1760. John Conrad Weiser Family Assoc. p. 210. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  12. ^ "R. HORACE GALLATIN". The New York Times. 2 November 1948. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  13. ^ "ESTATE OF MRS. GALLATIN; It Exceeds $1,000,000 and Husband Gets $30,000 a Year for Life". The New York Times. 4 April 1917. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  14. ^ "A DAY'S WEDDINGS. | Gallatin--Morris". The New York Times. 29 April 1896. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Gray, Christopher (7 August 1994). "Streetscapes/100 East 85th Street; A Slim Town House Survivor on a Park Ave. Corner". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  16. ^ a b c "MISS BAILEY BETROTHED.; Engagement to Lewis Gouverneur Morris Formally Announced". The New York Times. January 17, 1908. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  17. ^ a b "ALLETTA SMITH BETHROED". The New York Times. 22 March 1981. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  18. ^ "STOCK EXCHANGE FIRM FAILS; Morris & Pope Expected to Meet All Obligations". The New York Times. 15 April 1917. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  19. ^ a b "L.G. MORRIS PLEADS POOR DEBTOR LAW; Member of Failed Stock Exchange Firm Asks ReleaseFrom "Jail Limits."CAN'T LEAVE WHITE PLAINS Partners Also Held, Porter to Riverhead, L.I., and Pope toKings, County on Judgment". The New York Times. 23 September 1921. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  20. ^ ""Malbone" (J. Prescott Hall-Henry Bedlow House)" (PDF). loc.gov. Historic American Buildings Survey National Park Service Department of the Interior. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  21. ^ "A NEWPORT SHOW PLACE SOLD.; "Malbone," the Residence of Henry Bedlow, Bought by L.G. Morris". The New York Times. 17 February 1904. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  22. ^ a b "Alletta Nathalie Lorillard Bailey Morris (1883-1935)". columbia.edu. Columbia University. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  23. ^ Malbone NRHP Nomination. 1976.
  24. ^ "WEDDING PLANS.; Attendants Chosen for Morris-Bailey and Rogers-Welles Marriages". The New York Times. 26 March 1908. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  25. ^ a b "MRS. LEWIS MORRIS DIES IN HER HOME; Wife of Descendant of Patriot Was Socially Prominent and Former Tennis Champion". The New York Times. January 14, 1935. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  26. ^ "MISS ALETTA BAILEY WEDS LEWIS MORRIS; The Bridegroom Is a Descendant of Lewis Morris and Gov. Bradford. OTHER WEDDINGS OF A DAY Miss Georgia Gray Marries Frederick Henoken and Miss Arden Weds Lieut. George W. Beavers". The New York Times. 21 April 1908. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  27. ^ "Morris, Alletta Nathalie Lorillard Bailey, 1887-1935. - Social Networks and Archival Context". snaccooperative.org. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  28. ^ "The Morris Legacy: Profile of a Newport Collection". www.tfaoi.com. Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc. 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  29. ^ Burns, Charles J. (2011). "Spring Fashion Exhibit to Feature Wedding Dresses" (PDF). Newport Gazette (Winter 2011, No. 168): 12. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  30. ^ "Daughter to Mr. and Mrs. L.G. Morris". The New York Times. 4 April 1912. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  31. ^ a b "ALLETTA MORRIS McBEAN". The New York Times. 14 March 1986. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  32. ^ "Son Born to Byrnes M'Donalds". The New York Times. 1 August 1942. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  33. ^ "MISS LETA MORRIS IS MARRIED HERE; Daughter of Lewis G. Morris Is Bride at St. Patrick's of Byrnes MacDonald". The New York Times. 3 February 1935. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  34. ^ "Paid Notice: Memorials MCBEAN, PETER". The New York Times. 20 April 1997. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  35. ^ "Guide to the Elizabeth Morris Smith collection, 1855-1934 (bulk 1917-1934)" (PDF). redwoodlibrary.org. Redwood Library & Athenaeum, Newport, Rhode Island. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  36. ^ a b "Smith -- Cooper". The Washington Post. 11 March 1981. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  37. ^ "MRS. PERRY MARRIED; Former Frances Morris Is Wed in Virginia to Morton Smith". The New York Times. 20 August 1954. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  38. ^ "PRINCESS BRAGANCA TO BE WED APRIL 10; Former Anita Stewart, Widow of Prince Miguel, and Lewis G. Morris to Marry Here". The New York Times. 23 March 1946. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  39. ^ "MISS DE BRAGANZA MARRIED IN ITALY; Daughter of Princess Miguel de Braganza Wed Vadim Dorozynski in Capri Aug. 16. BRIDE STUDIED FOR STAGE; Newport Debutante of 1928 is a Granddaughter of the Late William Rhinelander Stewart". New York Times. September 3, 1930.
  40. ^ "Mrs. Katharine Bahnson Wed In South to John de Bragança". The New York Times. 16 May 1971. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  41. ^ "John de Braganca, Investment Banker, 79". The New York Times. 15 March 1991. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  42. ^ "SCHOOL IN NEWPORT HOLDS GRADUATION; Colonists Attend St. George Exercises as 29 Students Receive Their Diplomas". New York Times. June 16, 1933.
  43. ^ "Anita Stewart Morris, 91, Dies; Heiress Wed a European Prince". New York Times. September 16, 1977.
  44. ^ "Rhode Island Historical Society Welcomes New Trustees – In Association With The Smithsonian Institution". My Backyard. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  45. ^ "Board of Trustees". The Rhode Island Historical Society – A Smithsonian Affiliate. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
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