Wikipedia: What was unique about Governor Cornbury was the allegation of wearing women's clothes.
A generation later, the story was told of a conversation about Lord Cornbury between the famous Whig minister & author Horace Walpole (1717-1797) and author George James Williams (1719-1805):
Walpole: "[Lord Cornbury] was a clever man. His great insanity was dressing himself as a woman. When Governor in America he opened the Assembly dressed in that fashion. When some of those about him remonstrated, his reply was, 'You are very stupid not to see the propriety of it. In this place and particularly on this occasion I represent a woman (Queen Anne) and ought in all respects to represent her as faithfully as I can.'"
Williams: "My father did business with Cornbury in woman's clothes. He used to sit at the open window so dressed, to the great amusement of the neighbors. He employed always the most fashionable milliner, shoemaker, stay maker, etc. I saw a picture of him at Sir Herbert Packington's in Worcestershire, in a gown, stays, tucker, long ruffles, and cap...."
One of my ancestors, Governor Lewis Morris, was always in battles with the man, but I doubt it was over his choice of wardrobe. But Morris was another great politician with a quill pen.
As Ravens and Night-owls their Voices betray
So Asses are certainly known when they bray.
And Spight of the Noise and bustle they've made
Mankind will believe that a Spade is a Spade.
That Bullies and Bankrupts, and Men without Store
Dull wretches that have not one Virtue or More,
The Pests of the Country, whose Practice has been
To flatter the Governor, and Lie to the Queen,
Have right to no favour in a Well-govern'd State
But to Swing in an Halter, or peep through a Grate.
When I was researching at Rutgers, the archival librarian was out of town and the gentleman at the desk handed me ALL the original Morris files and pointed at the xerox machine. We stayed there an extra two days copying every page.
