Humphrey Morrey

Humphrey Morrey, or Murrey (b. c. 1650, England – d. 1716, Philadelphia) was the first Mayor of Philadelphia under William Penn's 1691 charter.[1] He was not elected, but rather was appointed by Penn.[2] He was the great-great-great-great-grandfather of the singer, actor, and political activist Paul Robeson.

Morrey was one of the 15 founders of Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania.

Morrey first came to Philadelphia in 1683 and worked as a merchant. In 1685, he was appointed a justice of the peace. In 1687, and again in 1690, he was chosen to the provincial assembly. In the charter of March 20, 1691, by which Philadelphia was incorporated as a city, Morrey was appointed mayor. The length of his term was 10 years. In 1701, he was succeeded by Edward Shippen, who was appointed by Penn to a one-year term, then re-elected to a second term by the City Council.

References

  1. Montgomery, Thomas Harrison (1900). A History of the University of Pennsylvania from Its Foundation to A. D. 1770. Philadelphia: George W. Jacobs & Co.
  2. The Pennsylvania magazine of history and biography, Volume 18, by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1894
Preceded by
none
Mayor of Philadelphia
1691–1701
Succeeded by
Edward Shippen
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