The Mind of an American Revolutionary

That is the question Jon Foyt’s historical novel asks—and answers—in “The Mind of an American Revolutionary,” the life and motivations of one of the lesser known—but equally significant—Founding Fathers.

Extensively researched, Jon’s 12th novel tells the story of Robert Morris, an illegitimate immigrant lad from off the docks of Liverpool, who went on to finance the American Revolution—at times with money out of his own pocket—and then ended up in debtor’s prison.

Taking place during the Revolutionary years, the novel explores Morris’ mind and his emotions, which are relentlessly probed by a persistent mercenary Hessian Major in what today we would call psychological counseling, or talk therapy.

As to the economic reasons for the American Revolution, the author seems eminently qualified to write about business motivations and ethics, given his years in the trenches as an American entrepreneur in real estate, radio broadcasting, banking, and publishing following his business school studies at Stanford. Adding his own personal drama with talk therapy creates the authenticity of this novel.

Foyt became interested in Robert Morris when he was sent by an Oregon bank to a conference at Rutgers where he learned that Morris was the patron saint of banking for having financed the Revolution.