Gouverneur Morris was one of the most interesting characters of the Revolutionary era, interesting because he had an individuality that distinguished him from the other worthies of the time. Though crippled,[50] his versatility and activity of mind and body were very great. An orator of the first rank, when but a few years past his majority he swayed the Continental Congress with his views upon matters of finance, a subject for which he had an especial aptitude throughout his career. Resolving, when a young man, to be the first lawyer in the land, he became so. By reason of his connections, his education and abilities, during his long stay abroad he associated on intimate terms with a vast number of the most influential personages living at the time. The unfortunate King and Queen of France sought his advice and aid in their troubles, as did Lafayette and many others.
His diary published in 1888 (now out of print), written in Paris during the early days of the French Revolution, although evidently for his own use, is comparable with those other letters and memoirs of the eighteenth century when writing of the sort was cultivated as a fine art.
His father’s will states: “It is my desire that my son, Gouverneur Morris, may have the best education that is to be had in England or America.” Great pains were taken that this should be carried out, so that he should be fitted for any career that might open to him.[51] He was a member of the Provincial Congress of New York, in 1775, “serving on the various committees with such well-balanced judgment as to command the respect of men of twice his age and experience.” Twice elected to the Continental Congress, he was a chairman of three committees for carrying on the war,[52] wrote continually on all subjects, especially that of finance, and at the same time practiced law, doing all this before he was twenty-eight years of age. After five years of devotion to public affairs, he became a citizen of Philadelphia and settled down to the practice of his profession.
In 1787, as a delegate from Pennsylvania, he took his seat in the convention which met to frame the Federal Constitution. He had been connected in certain financial ventures with William Constable of New York, which had been eminently successful, and in November, 1788, led partly by matters relating to these and partly by the desire to travel, he decided to visit France. His life on the other side became so crowded with interesting and important events that this visit was prolonged far beyond his intention. It was ten years before he returned. He was furnished by Washington with letters to persons in England, France, and Holland. He was present at the assembling of the States-General at Versailles, which has been called the “first day of the French Revolution,” and from that time on was _au fait_ with all the important events of that exciting period. At times he was in almost daily communication with the Duchess of Orleans, Madame de Staël, Talleyrand, and hosts of others equally important.