[1] His father was very prominent in public life and variously served as chief justice of New York and as the 8th Colonial Governor of New Jersey.

[4] Following a long trip to England in 1749, he was made Deputy Governor of Pennsylvania in 1754 and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1755 after his return.

The main point of contention was the adamant refusal of the Penns to countenance any tax upon their lands in Pennsylvania, even for provincial defense.

During the summer and autumn of 1755, while the frontier burned and the settlers fled for their lives from attacks by French-friendly Indians, the proprietors and the Assembly locked in legislative stalemate.

In late July, 1755, the Assembly authorized the expenditure of 50,000 pounds for provincial defense following the defeat of Major General Edward Braddock by the French and Indian soldiers near Fort Duquesne in western Pennsylvania.

Eventually, Morris admitted that the terms of his commission prohibited his accepting any measure that taxed the proprietary estates.

[9] In 1756, Morris resigned his commission as Chief Justice (which was not accepted) and made another long trip to England.