Scott, John Morin, 1730-1784

John Morin Scott (1730 – September 14, 1784) was a lawyer, military officer, and statesman before, during and after the American Revolution.

Born in Manhattan, Scott attended public school in New York before graduating from Yale College. After graduation from Yale and further study, he was admitted to the New York bar association in 1752, and practiced law in Manhattan. In 1752, along with William Livingston and William Smith, he founded a weekly journal, the Independent Reflector. From 1756 to 1761, he served as a New York alderman. Scott was a founding member of the Sons of Liberty and in 1775, he was a member of the New York General Committee. During the Revolutionary War, John Scott was a member of the New York Provincial Congress from 1775 to 1777 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.

In 1776, Scott was a member of the State of New York committee to author a state constitution. After the war, Scott regained his Manhattan estate and, in 1777, was a candidate for the first governorship of New York State, losing to George Clinton. Scott was elected Associate Justice of the State Supreme Court of New York in 1777, but declined. Instead, he became New York's first Secretary of State, a State Senator representing the Southern District from 1777 to 1782, and served as an active delegate to the Continental Congress in 1780 and 1782. Scott died in New York City on September 14, 1784, and his body was interred at the north entrance of Trinity Church, New York.