to Robert Morris.  Who is Robert Morris you might say?  Well, I say, without Robert Morris, you, me and everyone else living in this country may not have and may not be able to celebrate the freedoms we are celebrating today.

Robert Morris is the founding father nobody remembers and nobody studied in school.  He is the answer to a trivia question for the most ardent history buff, as being one of only 2 people to sign the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.  He was appointed to be the first Secretary of the Treasury, but he turned the position down, clearing the way for Alexander Hamilton to plop his face on the $10 bill.

You may say, blah, blah, blah.....so what, why is he so important?  Well, I'm going to tell you.

Today, 232 years ago, a group of men committed treason and declared their independence from the British crown.  It was an act, that all of these men knew would most assuredly mean the gallows for all of them, if caught.  It was an act, which most assuredly mean war.  The act was even more brazen, considering, these United States had no money, and no army.

Well war was eventually declared.  A militia was raised.  How would the militia be fed, supplied, clothed?  Where would the money come from? Well, at that time, one of the richest men in the colonies was a merchant named Robert Morris.  Robert Morris invested his personal wealth into the militia. He made sure the militia was paid and supplied.  When British ships cut off supplies to the colonies, it was Robert Morris who personally funded privateers to smuggle goods and supplies into the colonies. 

It was Robert Morris who personally paid money out of his pocket to immediately re-provision troops on the banks of the Delaware, on the eve of the Battle of Trenton.  Both James Madison and George Washington got their pictures on the back of the quarter for that.

When the war was over, and the independence was won, the fledgling United States had another problem.  It had no credit in which to deal with, and exchange goods with other countries.  Robert Morris, again, dipped into his personal fortune, and created the Bank of North America, out of which the United States could draw funds to deal with other nations, ultimately providing the financial footing on which to build this country.

None of these debts were ever repaid to Robert Morris, and he died a pauper, investing everything he ever had, and ever made into this country, so you and I can be free.  He never asked for any recognition. He never demanded the debts be repaid to him.  He is arguably one of the most important people in the history of our country, and nobody knows him, and if we had the chance to speak with him, he'd probably tell us, that's just the way he wants it.

So to you Robert Morris, I say Cheers! and Happy 4th of July!