From Thomas Jefferson to Edward Church, 5 May 1792
To Edward Church
Philadelphia May 5 1792
Sir
The President of the United States desiring to avail the public of your services as Consul of the United States of America for the port of Lisbon, in the Kingdom of Portugal and for such parts of the said Kingdom as shall be nearer to the said port, than to the residence of any other Consul or vice Consul of the United States in the said Kingdom, I have now the honor of enclosing you the Commission, and of expressing to you the sentiments of perfect esteem with which I am Sir &c.,
Th: Jefferson
P.S. Since writing the above, I have received yours of April 13 and am happy that your wishes were gratified before they were known by the above appointment. A former letter of mine will have explained the cause of delay.
FC (DNA: RG 360, DL). Enclosure: Church’s commission as consul for Lisbon, 5 May 1792 (Tr in DNA: RG 59, Consular Commissions).
On the preceding day TJ received word that the Senate had confirmed the nominations of Elias Vanderhorst as consul for Bristol, Tristram Dalton as treasurer of the Mint, Aquila Giles as marshal of the District of New York, and Edward Wigglesworth as collector of Newbury, Mass., but that Church’s nomination as consul for Lisbon had been postponed (Tobias Lear to TJ, 4 May 1792, RC in DNA: RG 59, MLR; Tr in DNA: RG 59, SDC. See also TJ to Elias Vanderhorst, TJ to Aquila Giles, and TJ to Tristram Dalton, 4 May 1792, FCs in DNA: RG 360, DL. Dalton accepted his appointment in a letter of 8 May 1792; RC in DNA: RG 59, MLR). Church’s nomination was confirmed the next day (Lear to TJ, 5 May 1792, RC in DNA: RG 59, MLR; Tr in DNA: RG 59, SDC).