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Lot 2036

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ROBERT MORRIS, Autograph Endorsement Signed

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Autographs

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Robert Morris Autograph Endorsement Signed Twice

ROBERT MORRIS, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, financier and politician, was instrumental in the financing of Washington's armies, and later financially ruined through his speculation in western lands.
April 16, 1795, Partially Printed Document Signed, "Rob. Morris" twice on the back, 3.75" x 6.75," Very Fine. This document is a promissory note signed by John Nicholson, at Philadelphia, promising to pay $10,000 to Robert Morris -- three years after the date of the document. At the time Morris endorsed this promissory note, he was a "guest" at the Prune Street Debtor's prison in Philadelphia, where he remained from February 1798 to August 1801. Morris writes on the verso in a shaky hand, "Rob. Morris, April 16,1798 want of protest shall not impair the responsibility of Rob. Morris." Morris must have signed over this debt owed to him as partial payment of his own debts. The front of this document is a bit faded, otherwise it is in great condition. Very Rare and Unusual.







Robert Morris, Jr. (1734-1806) was an American merchant and a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. Morris was known as the Financier of the Revolution, because of his role in securing financial aid for America during the Revolutionary War. Three days after becoming Superintendent of Finance, Morris proposed the establishment of a national bank. This led to the creation of the first financial institution chartered by the United States government and the first true bank in America, the Bank of North America, in 1782. The bank was funded in part by a significant loan Morris had obtained from France in 1781. The initial role of the bank was to finance the war against Britain. On January 15, 1782 Morris drafted a proposal to the Continental Congress recommending the establishment of a national mint and decimal coinage. However, the United States Mint was not established until 1792, after further proposals by Hamilton.

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