To James Madison from Elbridge Gerry Jr., 4 December 1814
From Elbridge Gerry Jr.
Cambridge 4th Decr. 1814
Respected Sir
In the hour of distress I am compelled to appeal to you for assistance, & support. The decease of my excellent Parent, has thrown a large & destitute family on their own exertions & the world, for subsistence. As the eldest son of a man, whose life & fortune were spent in the service of his country, I consider it an indispensable duty to seek some employment which will not degrade his unsullied name, & will afford that support I can no longer derive from an inestimable Father, & which every sense of duty forbids my asking of a sick & widowed mother.1 Being personally known to yourself, Sir, & considering you as the early friend of my Father, whose virtues are so well known to you, I have presumed to ask for some office, adequate to my immediate wants.
As I am totally dependent and unprovided for, without a home or friends in this place, any employment in your power to bestow upon me, will alleviate the distress of my mother & family, and be gratefully received by your respectful and afflicted humble Servant
E. Gerry
RC (DLC). Docketed by JM.
1. On 15 Dec. 1814 Massachusetts senator Christopher Gore proposed legislation to pay the elder Gerry’s salary as Vice President for the remainder of his elected term to his window, Anne Thompson Gerry. The Senate passed the bill four days later, but opponents of government pensions in the House of Representatives succeeded in having it indefinitely postponed on 20 Feb. 1815 ( 13th Cong., 3d sess., 129–32, 1171, 1173).