LEWIS, Morgan, statesman, was born in New York, NY, 16 October 1754, the son
of Francis and Elizabeth (Annesley) Lewis. He attended the public school at
Elizabethtown, NJ, and was graduated from the College of New Jersey, A.B.,
1773, A.M., 1776. His intention was to devote himself to the ministry, but
yielding to his father's wishes he studied law. In 1774 he joined the
Continental army as a volunteer; was subsequently chosen captain of a regiment
of New York militia; but upon the organization of the 2d New York militia
regiment he was commissioned Major. He was appointed chief-of-staff to
General Horatio Gates, with the rank of Colonel, and accompanied him into
Canada, and soon after Congress appointed him Quartermaster-General of the
Northern army. He was prominent throughout the campaign that ended with the
surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga, and in 1775 he planned and executed the
night attack on Stone Arabia, and was in command at the Battle of Crown Point,
where he was accompanied by Governor Clinton. At the close of the war Colonel
Lewis returned to New York, where he was admitted to the bar and practised in
New York city. He married Gertrude, daughter of Robert R. Livingston. He
was elected a member of the assembly; became one of the judges of the Court of
Common Pleas; was appointed Attorney-General of the state in 1791; judge of
the Supreme Court in 1792; Chief Justice in 1793; and was Governor of the
state, 1804-07. In 1806 he was defeated for re-election by Daniel D.
Tompkins and retired to his estate at Staatsburg, Dutchess County, NY, where
he devoted much of his time to agriculture.
Having given up the practice of law, Lewis established a cloth factory and for
several years devoted himself to manufacturing. The failure of a mercantile
house to which his goods were assigned caused him to discontinue the
business. In 1810 he was elected to the State Senate, and he declined the
position of Secretary of War in President Madison's cabinet in 1812, but
accepted the appointment of Quartermaster-General of the armies of the United
States. He was promoted
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