January 23, 2007

Gouverneur Morris: "We the people ..."

I love the many anecdotes about this man - he seems quite likable, and yet also intimidating (the intellect, the fearlessness). Just came across a quote in a book I'm reading and it made me laugh. Morris, despite his wooden leg (or who knows, maybe because of it) was quite a womanizer. The ladies loooooooved him. And he looooooved the ladies. He was kind of a party hound, in an 18th century kind of way. He's the one who took Hamilton's dare: "Go over there and pat Washington on the back and say, 'How's it goin', dude?'" Or something like that, hahaha, something very familiar. Morris, gamely, took the dare. Went over and cuffed Washington on the arm, saying some genial friendly like thing - and Washington froze him with a frigid stare. Morris never got over the humiliation of the moment. He and Washington were good friends, though - so I think maybe that made Morris' social agony in that moment even worse.

But anyway - back to the quote I found that I liked. Many of Morris' fellow revolutionaries were a bit chagrined by the open-ness of his womanizing ... a gentleman should be more discreet ... and John Jay wrote the following in a letter:

"Gouverneur's leg has been a tax on my heart. I am almost tempted to wish he had lost something else."

hee hee

Morris is a guy I think I would have liked.

Posted by sheila
Comments

...wonder if that was maybe the origin of the slangy usage of "leg" to apply to that other male appendage. (I've most often heard it referred to as "third leg," but in Morris' case I guess that might not apply...)

(chuckling over the mental image of "How's it goin' dude?")

Posted by: ricki at January 23, 2007 12:53 PM

I know, I love the image of the Founding Fathers basically double-dog-daring each other. hahahaha

Posted by: red at January 23, 2007 12:54 PM

Hamilton as an instigator ... imagine that.

Posted by: Cullen at January 23, 2007 1:08 PM

Morris does sound like a classic rapscallion. And I love the John Jay remark. It shows he wasn't the boring guy he's often made out to be, just sitting in a corner, sipping a sensible drink while looking over his latest treaty. (Then again, maybe he felt so strongly because Mrs. Jay was at the receiving end of a Morris appendage).

Posted by: Randy at January 23, 2007 1:22 PM

Randy - Richard Brookheiser wrote a book about Morris called "The Rake Who Wrote the Constitution," as I recall. Apropos of nothing else, there's a high school in NJ named after him.

Posted by: Nightfly at January 23, 2007 1:51 PM

Thanks for the tip, Nightfly. And may I say it's good to hear from you again? It's been awhile since our blogtrails have crossed. Glad to hear you're still alive and well and not buried in some Mafia swamp dumping ground up there in N.J.

Posted by: Randy at January 23, 2007 7:09 PM

Randy - I love the John Jay remark too - you don't get too much humor from Jay, that's true. It's a funny comment. I wonder if there was some jealousy there??

Posted by: red at January 24, 2007 10:40 AM

Randy... is THAT guy!

Well, sonofagun. Small Internet. I've been great, thanks. How about you?

Posted by: Nightfly at January 24, 2007 12:40 PM

I LOVE your blog!
Unfortunately, I am preparing for a tour so I can't digest it.
I might send back a photo of Hamilton's grave when we visit it next week.
Keep up the good work and be sure to visit two of my friends: http://www.historyiselementary.blogspot.com and http://american-presidents.blogspot.com.

Cheers!

Posted by: The tour Marm at April 11, 2007 2:56 AM