John Morin Scott
Encyclopedia
John Morin Scott was a lawyer
, military officer
, and statesman
before, during and after the American Revolution
.
(1648–1712), of Ancrum
, Roxburghshire
in Scotland, whose second son, Captain John Scott (1678–1740), emigrated to New York City, where he received the rights of citizenship in 1702. He had nine children, the eldest of which was John Scott (1702–1733), a Manhattan merchant, who married Marian Morin (1703–1755), daughter of Huguenot
settler Pierre Morin. Their only child was John Morin Scott.
and attended public school there. His father died when he was three years old, and his mother never remarried.
He graduated Yale College
in 1746, at the age of 16. After further study he was admitted to the New York bar association
in 1752, and practiced law in Manhattan, where he also served as an alderman
from 1756 to 1761.
During the Revolutionary War, John Scott was a member of the New York Provincial Congress
while also serving as a brigadier general
under George Washington
in the New York and New Jersey campaign
. He commanded the 1st New York (Independent) Battalion
, the 2nd New York (County) Battalion, and several New York Militia
Regiments. He fought with Putnam
's division at the Battle of Brooklyn
on August 27, 1776, and was the last of Washington's generals
to argue against surrendering Manhattan to the British—possibly due to his large landholdings there, including what is now Times Square
and New York City's Theater
District.
Twenty days later, on September 16, 1776, Scott led the same battalions and regiments at the Battle of Harlem Heights
, an American victory. On October 28, 1776, his forces participated in the inconclusive Battle of White Plains
.
After the war, Scott regained his Manhattan estate
and was a candidate for the first governor
ship of New York State, losing to George Clinton
. He became, instead, New York's first Secretary of State
, a state senator
, and served as an active delegate
to the Continental Congress
.
His body is interred
at the north entrance of Trinity Church, New York
. His inscribed slab
is visible from the corner of Wall Street
and Broadway. An equestrian statue is erected in his honor in Upper Manhattan
.
Lewis Allaire Scott
, John's son, was one of the two Deputy Secretaries of State during his father's tenure, and in 1784 was appointed to succeed him, dying in office in 1798.
Additionally, Scott was elected
Associate Justice
of the State Supreme Court
of New York in 1777, but declined.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, military officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
, and statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
before, during and after the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
Ancestry
The Scott family descends from Sir John Scott, BaronetBaronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
(1648–1712), of Ancrum
Ancrum
Ancrum is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, north of Jedburgh and south of St Boswells....
, Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Dumfries to the west, Selkirk to the north-west, and Berwick to the north. To the south-east it borders Cumbria and Northumberland in England.It was named after the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...
in Scotland, whose second son, Captain John Scott (1678–1740), emigrated to New York City, where he received the rights of citizenship in 1702. He had nine children, the eldest of which was John Scott (1702–1733), a Manhattan merchant, who married Marian Morin (1703–1755), daughter of Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
settler Pierre Morin. Their only child was John Morin Scott.
Life
Scott was born in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and attended public school there. His father died when he was three years old, and his mother never remarried.
He graduated Yale College
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1746, at the age of 16. After further study he was admitted to the New York bar association
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1752, and practiced law in Manhattan, where he also served as an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
from 1756 to 1761.
During the Revolutionary War, John Scott was a member of the New York Provincial Congress
New York Provincial Congress
The New York Provincial Congress was an organization formed by rebels in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-rebellion alternative to the more conservative Province of New York Assembly, and as a replacement for the Committee of One Hundred.A Provincial Convention assembled in New York...
while also serving as a brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
under George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
in the New York and New Jersey campaign
New York and New Jersey campaign
The New York and New Jersey campaign was a series of battles for control of New York City and the state of New Jersey in the American Revolutionary War between British forces under General Sir William Howe and the Continental Army under General George Washington in 1776 and the winter months of 1777...
. He commanded the 1st New York (Independent) Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
, the 2nd New York (County) Battalion, and several New York Militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
Regiments. He fought with Putnam
Israel Putnam
Israel Putnam was an American army general and Freemason who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War...
's division at the Battle of Brooklyn
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
on August 27, 1776, and was the last of Washington's generals
Military leadership in the American Revolutionary War
Many military leaders played a role in the American Revolutionary War. This list is a compilation of some of the most important leaders among all of the many participants in the war...
to argue against surrendering Manhattan to the British—possibly due to his large landholdings there, including what is now Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
and New York City's Theater
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
District.
Twenty days later, on September 16, 1776, Scott led the same battalions and regiments at the Battle of Harlem Heights
Battle of Harlem Heights
The Battle of Harlem Heights was fought during the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The action took place in what is now the Morningside Heights and west Harlem neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City on September 16, 1776....
, an American victory. On October 28, 1776, his forces participated in the inconclusive Battle of White Plains
Battle of White Plains
The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War fought on October 28, 1776, near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward from New York City, British General William Howe landed...
.
After the war, Scott regained his Manhattan estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
and was a candidate for the first governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
ship of New York State, losing to George Clinton
George Clinton (vice president)
George Clinton was an American soldier and politician, considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was the first Governor of New York, and then the fourth Vice President of the United States , serving under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He and John C...
. He became, instead, New York's first Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
, a state senator
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house...
, and served as an active delegate
Delegate
A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization (e.g., a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting or conference...
to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
.
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
at the north entrance of Trinity Church, New York
Trinity Church, New York
Trinity Church at 79 Broadway, Lower Manhattan, is a historic, active parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York...
. His inscribed slab
Headstone
A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. In most cases they have the deceased's name, date of birth, and date of death inscribed on them, along with a personal message, or prayer.- Use :...
is visible from the corner of Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
and Broadway. An equestrian statue is erected in his honor in Upper Manhattan
Upper Manhattan
Upper Manhattan denotes the more northerly region of the New York City Borough of Manhattan. Its southern boundary may be defined anywhere between 59th Street and 155th Street. Between these two extremes lies the most common definitions of Upper Manhattan as Manhattan above 96th Street...
.
Lewis Allaire Scott
Lewis Allaire Scott
-Life:He was the son of John Morin Scott and Helena Rutgers Scott.On January 18, 1785, he married Julianna Sitgreaves , and their son was Mayor of Philadelphia John Morin Scott ....
, John's son, was one of the two Deputy Secretaries of State during his father's tenure, and in 1784 was appointed to succeed him, dying in office in 1798.
Offices, titles, and affiliations
- Sons of LibertySons of LibertyThe Sons of Liberty were a political group made up of American patriots that originated in the pre-independence North American British colonies. The group was formed to protect the rights of the colonists from the usurpations by the British government after 1766...
founding member - New York alderman (1756–1761)
- New York General Committee member (1775)
- New York Provincial CongressNew York Provincial CongressThe New York Provincial Congress was an organization formed by rebels in 1775, during the American Revolution, as a pro-rebellion alternative to the more conservative Province of New York Assembly, and as a replacement for the Committee of One Hundred.A Provincial Convention assembled in New York...
member (1775–1777) - Brigadier General of the New York Militia during the Revolutionary War
- Member of the State of New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
committee to author a state constitution (1776) - New York State Senator, Southern District (1777–1782)
- New York delegate in the Continental Congress (1780 and 1782)
- Secretary of State of New York (1778–1784); died in office
Additionally, Scott was elected
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
of the State Supreme Court
State supreme court
In the United States, the state supreme court is the highest state court in the state court system ....
of New York in 1777, but declined.