George Washington Papers

To George Washington from John Trumbull, 25 April 1797

From John Trumbull

29 Berner’s Street London, April 25th 1797

Sir

The Letter which you did me the Honour to write to me on the 12 th of January came to my hands some days ago, together with its enclosures: The Letter for Mr John Carey was conveyed to him as soon as I could learn his place of residence.1 I beg leave to return my thanks to Mrs Washington, for the Honor of her Letter, and for the very flattering sentiments she has been pleased to express towards me.2

For Her Happiness as well as your’s, I shall ever offer my most sincere Vows: and I earnestly hope that you may long enjoy in Health, that Domestic Ease, and calm tranquillity of retirement which must be so grateful to you, after so many years of anxiety and fatigue; and derive from the contemplation of the Happiness and Glory of your Country, the best reward of those toils which have so eminently contributed to their establishment. I have the Honor to be, with the highest Respect, sir, Your most obedient & Grateful Servant

Jno. Trumbull

ALS, DLC:GW; ADfS, ViMtvL; LB, DLC: John Trumbull Letterbook.

John Trumbull (1756–1843), the painter, was the youngest of the four sons of Gov. Jonathan Trumbull (1710–1785) of Connecticut. He lived in England and studied with Benjamin West in the 1780s. He returned to London in 1794 as John Jay’s secretary and remained abroad until 1804.

1Trumbull may have been referring to GW’s letter of 13 January. See note 2. On 30 Dec. 1796 GW wrote John Carey about Benjamin Franklin Bache’s republishing spurious letters of GW. See GW to Jeremiah Wadsworth, 6 Mar. 1797, n.3.

2GW wrote Trumbull on 13 Jan. covering a letter from Martha Washington of 12 Jan. which GW drafted. The copyist entered Martha Washington’s letter of the 12th in GW’s letter book under GW’s name. In her letter Martha Washington thanked Trumbull for “a proof print engraved from the whole length Portrait of the President” (CSmH), which Trumbull had painted in 1792. Trumbull wrote also to Martha Washington on this date, 25 April (Fields, Papers of Martha Washington, description begins Joseph E. Fields, ed. “Worthy Partner”: The Papers of Martha Washington. Westport, Conn., and London, 1994. description ends 297–98).

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