Robert Morris's Folly : The Architectural and Financial Failures of an American Founder / Ryan K. Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Ryan K., Author.

Series:

Lewis Walpole series in eighteenth-century culture and history.

The Lewis Walpole Series in Eighteenth-Century Culture and History

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Morris, Robert, 1734-1806--Finance, Personal.

Morris, Robert.

Morris, Robert, 1734-1806--Homes and haunts--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.

Founding Fathers of the United States--Finance, Personal.

Founding Fathers of the United States.

Founding Fathers of the United States--Homes and haunts--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (359 p.)

Place of Publication:

New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2014]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In 1798 Robert Morris-"financier of the American Revolution," confidant of George Washington, former U.S. senator-plunged from the peaks of wealth and prestige into debtors' prison and public contempt. How could one of the richest men in the United States, one of only two founders who signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution, suffer such a downfall? This book examines for the first time the extravagant Philadelphia town house Robert Morris built and its role in bringing about his ruin. Part biography, part architectural history, the book recounts Morris's wild successes as a merchant, his recklessness as a land speculator, and his unrestrained passion in building his palatial, doomed mansion, once hailed as the most expensive private building in the United States but later known as "Morris's Folly." Setting Morris's tale in the context of the nation's founding, this volume refocuses attention on an essential yet nearly forgotten American figure while also illuminating the origins of America's ongoing, ambivalent attitudes toward the superwealthy and their sensational excesses.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Map of Robert Morris's Philadelphia

Prologue

1. His Capital

2. His Family

3. His Plans

4. His House

5. His Architect

6. His Folly

7. His Entreaties

8. His Ruins

9. His Release

Notes

Acknowledgments

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 29. Feb 2020)

ISBN:

0-300-20697-6

OCLC:

893406082