André Daschkoff to Thomas Jefferson, 5 July 1809
From André Daschkoff
Philadelphie ce 5 Juillet. 1809
Monsieur!
Arrivé dans le pays par ordre de Sa Majesté l’Empereur de toutes les Russies en Conséquence de ma nomination de chargé d’Affaires près les Etats Unis et de Consul Général à Philadelphie, j’ai l’honneur de vous envoyer Monsieur deux lettres ci jointes à votre adresse Confiées à mes Soins. Je Saisis avec empressement cette occasion de vous présenter mes hommages réspéctueux du moment de mon arrivée, de vous faire part de la haute considération dont vous jouisser à tant de titres, chez une Grande puissance du Nord, amie de vôtre pays, et de vous assurer des Sentimens distingués et du respect profond avec lequel j’ai l’honneur d’être
André Daschkoff.
Editors’ Translation
Philadelphia 5 July. 1809
Sir!
Having arrived in the country by order of His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias in consequence of my nomination as chargé d’affaires to the United States and consul general at Philadelphia, I have the honor to send you, Sir, two enclosed letters addressed to you and entrusted to me. I eagerly seize on this occasion to pay my respects at the moment of my arrival, and to let you know the high esteem you enjoy for your numerous accomplishments, in a great power of the North, friend of your country, and to assure you of the profound respect with which I have the honor to be
André Daschkoff.
RC (DLC); at foot of text: “Monsieur Jefferson”; endorsed by TJ as received 10 July 1809 and so recorded in SJL. Translation by Dr. Genevieve Moene. Enclosures: (1) William Short to TJ, 9 Apr. 1809 (FC in DLC: Short Papers, 34: 6184–5; consisting only of brief description: “letter of introduct for Daschkoff”; entirely in Short’s hand; from a portion of Short’s epistolary record containing entries from 6 June 1808 to 16 Oct. written on a sheet folded to make narrow pages; recorded in SJL as received from Paris on 10 July 1809). (2) Short to TJ, 10 Apr. 1809.
André Daschkoff (1777–1830) attended Moscow University, served in the Russian army, and joined that nation’s consular service in 1805. His connections with Nicolas de Romanzoff helped him win the dual appointment of chargé d’affaires to the United States and consul general at Philadelphia in 1808. Daschkoff also served simultaneously as correspondent of the Russian-American Company, which regulated trading activities between Russians, Americans, and Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. He was the first Russian diplomat sent to the United States. Temporarily outranked by Théodore Pahlen, who served as Russian minister to the United States from June 1810 to July 1811, on his departure Daschkoff replaced him as minister. Daschkoff was recalled in 1816 when the successful assertion of diplomatic immunity following the arrest for rape of his successor as consul general made both men political liabilities. After his return home in 1819, with the exception of a mission in Istanbul from 1820–21, Daschkoff’s remaining postings were inside Russia (Daniel L. Schlafly Jr., “The First Russian Diplomat in America: Andrei Dashkov on the New Republic,” Historian 60 [1997]: 39–57; Alexander I to TJ, 12 Sept. 1808 [DNA: RG 59, NL, Russia]; , 774, 1131).
Index Entries
- Alexander I, emperor of Russia; and letters of credence search
- Alexander I, emperor of Russia; and U.S. search
- Daschkoff, André; forwards letters to TJ search
- Daschkoff, André; identified search
- Daschkoff, André; letters from search
- Daschkoff, André; Russian consul general to U.S. search
- French language; letters in, from; A. Daschkoff search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Correspondence; letters of introduction to search
- Pahlen, Théodore, Count; Russian minister to U.S. search
- Romanzoff, Nicolas de; relations with A. Daschkoff search
- Russia; and U.S. search
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- United States; and Alexander I search
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