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To George Washington from William Blount and William Cocke, 17 January 1797

From William Blount and William Cocke

Philadelphia January 17th 1797

Sir,

We beg your Permission to recommend to you for your Nomination for District Judge of the District of Tennessee John Rhea Esquire:1 We recommend him upon the following grounds, In the late Revolution he embraced every opportunity to give Proofs by rendering personal services and otherwise of his firm Attachment to the Principles upon which the Independence of the United States was established, he is about forty five years of Age, eighteen of which he has resided within the Limits of that Tract of Country at present denominated the State of Tennessee he is among the oldest Lawyers of that State2 with a great share of Practice and universally acknowledged to be possessed of as much legal knowledge and as good Abilities as any other in the State, a Man of unexceptionable moral Character, of general Science firmly attached to the present Form of Government and we assure you that his appointment to that Office will be pleasing to the Citizens of Tennessee in general: And as further Proofs of the Wishes of sundry respectable Citizens of Tennessee touching the appointment of Mr Rhea we inclose herewith several Letters a List of which is subjoined3 and have the honor to be very respectfully Your obedient Servants

Wm Blount
Wm Cocke

LS, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters. GW replied to Blount and Cocke on 1 February.

William Blount was currently a U.S. senator from Tennessee.

William Cocke (1748–1828) of Amelia County, Va., practiced law as a young man. Around 1774, he settled in the Holston-Watauga area around the present-day boundary between Virginia and Tennessee. He became a militia captain and took part in frontier defense in 1774 during Lord Dunmore’s War. Cocke represented Washington County in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1777 to 1778, and held public office in the short-lived State of Franklin, formed from western counties of North Carolina. He served several years in the North Carolina legislature. A member of the legislature of the Southwest Territory, Cocke represented Tennessee in the U.S. Senate from August 1796 to September 1797 and again from 1799 to 1805. He afterwards was a judge, a member of the Mississippi legislature, and an Indian agent for the Chickasaw Nation. He died in Columbus, Mississippi.

1For another recommendation of John Rhea, a member of the Tennessee state legislature, see Andrew Jackson to GW, 8 February.

2For Rhea’s Revolutionary War service and subsequent legal and political careers, see Joseph Anderson to GW, 2 Nov. 1796, n.6.

3Beneath their signatures and the internal address, Blount and Cocke wrote: “List of Papers inclosed herewith[:] No. 1. Letter from Govr [John] Sevier 24th Novr 1796. 2 [Letter] from Colo. John McLelland 5th Novr 1796[.] 3 [Letter] from George Gillaspie Sheriff and Colo. of Washington County 16th Novr 1796[.] 4. [Letter] from Landon Carter Brigr Genl Washington District 25th Novr 1796[.] To which is subjoined the Certificate of Andrew Crier esquire.

“Mr Blount has also received other Letters equally recommendatory of Mr Rhea which cannot be inclosed because the Paragraphs respecting Mr Rhea are intermixed with others on private business, namely one from Brigadier General White of Hamilton District, another from Charles McClung Esquire Clerk of Knox County Court, a man of Character and good legal Abilites and another from James Stuart Esquire Speaker of the house of Representatives of the State of Tennessee.

“Mr Blount & Mr Cocke will be glad if the President has any Doubt as to the Propriety of nominating Mr Rhea that he would make Inquiry of the Representative of Tennessee Mr Andrew Jackson who is himself a Lawyer.” The letters to Blount from James White, Charles McClung, and James Stuart have not been identified. The enclosures, printed below, are all in DNA: RC 59, Miscellaneous Letters.

Sevier’s letter to Blount, dated 24 Nov. 1796 at Jonesboro, Tenn., reads: “I am induced to suppose, that there will be several Candidates for the Judges place, John Rhea esquire is Among the Number; As to his Qualifications to fill that office I need not Mention to you, as you Are Very well Acquainted with his Abilites And General Charactor. permit me to observe, that Mr Rhea in My opinion will be very acceptable to the people at large, perhaps More So than Any other person I have yet heard of Among the Number, And I make no doubt you will use your interest to have him Appointed.”

Justice of the Peace John McClellan’s letter to Blount, dated at Knoxville, Tenn., on 5 Nov. 1796, reads: “You will no doubt have heard, before this reaches you that Mr John Rhea would accept the appointment of Federal Judge for this district.

“I am informed that Mr David Campbell will go on to Philadelphia to ask in person that appointment.

“If the voice of the people in this State would have any influence on him who is to nominate and those who are to advise and consent to that appointment it would, I believe, be almost unanimous in favor of the former.

“I have conversed with many on the subject and never heard any express a wish that any person should receive that appointment in preference to Mr Rhea: but on the contrary all appeared anxious that he should have it.”

Sheriff George Gillespie’s letter to Blount, dated 16 Nov. 1796, reads: “It is the report of this place that Judge [David] Campbell is gon on to philadelphia or is a Bout to start there, in order to be appointed Federal Judge Application was made me by a Number of the Citizenz of this County to wright to you knowing that you and myself was well aquainted that It was not thair wish he should be Appointed by any meanz the reasons the[y] give was this that the[y] ware well a quainted with him as Judge and did Corduly dispise him and it is also my wish that he be not Appointed If posseable it Can be prevented I am Shore that nine tenths of the people of this state is Opposed to Campbells being Judge, I was requested to make mention to you Mr Rhea was the wish of the people in Gnl If it should Meet with your good approbation I hope you will put his name in nomenation and have him Appointed if poseable, there Appears nothing new at present Colo. [Landon] Carter is Our Brigedear Gnl for this [Washington] district on monday last [14 Nov.] was the election for the [presidential] elector of this district and Hugh Nelson [Neilson] esqr. was Appointed the elector—Mother and Family are well at present Brother allens Complements to you I am Dear Sir with respects yours &c.”

The letter from Landon Carter (1760–1800) to Blount, written from Jonesboro on 25 Nov., reads: “The mi[n]des of the People Particularly of a number of my Acquaintances appear to be Adjutated Respecting the appointmen⟨t⟩ of a Judge of the District of Tennessee und⟨er⟩ an Impression that Judge Campbell were making considerable exertions to obtain the Same which by no means appear to meet their Approbation which have been fully demonstrated by Written Instructions from the People of Washington County by their Representatives in Committee met in Jonesboro⟨ugh⟩ to their Representatives in General assembly at Knoxville by no means to reappoint him as a State Judge when on the other hand they appear to be anxious that John Rhea Esqr. attorney at Law Should fill that Vacancy and fllatter themselves that through the assistance of their Senators he may obtain the Same in preference to any other Person we hear of in Nomination I should have wrote more fully to yourself and Mr Cocke had not been for Want of time the Post being in haste Pleas to Present my Compliments to Mr Cocke I should be glad to Recive a Line for you both when ever Convenient.” A postscript to Carter’s letter, signed by Andrew Greer, a justice of the Washington County court, reads: “Previous to sealing this Andrew Greer Esqr. Signified his assent to the foregoing Sentiment and therefore hath hereunto assigned his name.” The allusion to David Campbell as a state judge refers to the post he had held since 1790 as judge of the Southwest Territory.

Despite the above recommendations for Rhea, GW appointed John McNairy as federal district judge for Tennessee (see GW to the U.S. Senate, 17 Feb. 1797).

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