Lewis, Morgan

Lewis, Morgan, 1754–1844, American army officer and governor of New York (1804–7), b. New York City; son of Francis Lewis. After serving in the American Revolution, he held a variety of state offices before becoming governor in 1804. Lewis was aided in his career by his marriage to a daughter of Robert R. Livingston. His term as governor was marred by factional rivalry, but he did much to encourage the growth of the public school system. Serving on the Niagara frontier in the War of 1812, he captured Fort George and commanded at the battles of Sackets Harbor and French Creek. He was a founder of New York Univ.

See biography by his granddaughter, J. L. Delafield (2 vol., 1877).

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