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No.593. Philadelphia. November 14, 1782. Signed by Robert Morris as 'S.I. of Finance'.
Similar to Anderson US-119, but unlisted. Issued for 9,902 Livre Tournois. Partly printed
form in French. Printed on laid paper. 24.1cm by 9.0cm. Typeset. A different type from
US-119 since the lower left has 'A M' and 'M' abbreviated and not spelled out (see plate
note in Anderson, page 93). Sixth of Exchange. Issued to Richard Penn (1735-1811),
grandson of William Penn. He was Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania (1771-1773). Later, in 1775
he was sent by the Continental Congress on a peace mission to the United Kingdom, where he
remained. Extremely Fine and very sharp looking. The Morris signature is very
strong.Robert Morris (1734-1806), Signer of the Declaration of Independence, also signed
the Articles of Confederation on behalf of Pennsylvania. In 1781 he was appointed
Superintendent of Finance of the national government. His financial dealings kept American
armies supplied with arms and munitions, but his failure to keep public and personal
finances separate aroused public opposition. In 1783, Morris commissioned Benjamin Dudley,
an English assayer and metallurgist, to make the unique set of Nova Constellatio pattern
coins, which are part of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection. In later life, Morris was
elected Federalist Senator from Pennsylvania and served from 1789 to 1795. His personal
finances were ruined in 1798 through unwise speculation in frontier lands. After three
years in debtor's prison, Morris died in near poverty in 1806.Ex Harry Forman (via Kane
Antiquarian Sale, May 1, 1994, lot 223).
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