Staats Long Morris

General Staats Long Morris is probably the only American buried in Westminster Abbey. His grave is in the north aisle of the nave. Only the marker for his wife Jane is now visible and there is no monument to him. The floor of the nave was re-laid in 1834 and most of the large gravestones were taken up and replaced with a smaller stone giving just the name and date of death of individuals. The original gravestone read:

Here lie the remains of Genl. Staats Long Morris, who died 2nd April 1800 aged 70. Also Mrs Jane Morris, widow of the above, who died 15th March 1801 aged 52.

He was born in New York on 27th August 1728, a son of judge Lewis Morris (died 1762) of Morrisiana, New York, and his wife Catherine (Staats). His grandfather was American politician Lewis Morris. His elder brother Lewis was a signatory to the American Declaration of Independence and his half brother Gouveneur was a revolutionary politician. Although educated at Yale he decided to join the army and was a captain by 1755. He was sent to England with despatches and transferred from the 55th regiment of foot to the 36th. In 1756 he married Catherine Gordon, Dowager Duchess of Gordon. He raised his own regiment, the 89th (or Gordon) Highlanders and served for a time in India. His first wife died in 1779 and the following year he married Jean or Jane Urquhart but they had no children. Later he served as a Member of Parliament and was made a General in 1796. He was Governor of Quebec in 1797 but died at his home in England.

Further reading

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography