Who was Gouverneur Morris?

Was he a Governor of some State or Colony? What did he do that I should even know who he was?

No, that’s not a misspelling. That’s how he spelled his name—Gouverneur. And he pronounced it “Goo-ver-newer”.

No, he was not a Governor at the time. He was one of the important men attending the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1787. He was one of the important men, at that Convention, such as James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin.

When the 55 delegates to this Convention finally agreed on the basic ideas and structures to be included in the new Constitution of the United States, a committee of style was formed to draft the document based on their agreements. The Committee was James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, William Samuel Johnson, Rufus King, and Gouverneur Morris.

Gouverneur Morris was chosen by this committee as the one to actually put the agreed basics into beautiful prose, clear, concise, and understandable. That is what he did. So he is the author of the document we know as the “Constitution of the United States, dated September 17, 1787, much like Thomas Jefferson is considered the author of the Declaration of Independence.

Now, aren’t you glad you know this now?