A Morris Family Tree

Robert Morris, “Financier of the Revolution,” was the richest man in the US when the country was founded. When Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham went bankrupt trying to acquire the western fifth of New York State, Morris purchased millions of acres from them. Eventually Morris acquired more than 10 million acres of land and 7 thousand lots in Washington, D.C., but the shady financial dealings required to float his speculation sent him to debtor’s prison.