To George Washington from Thomas Pinckney, 23 October 1798
From Thomas Pinckney
Charleston [S.C.] 23d October 1798
My dear Sir
The fear of missing my Brother upon the road after an absence of between six and seven years has impelled me to take the liberty of sending the inclosed letter under cover to you.1 As I know of no place where propriety and affection will unite so powerfully in inducing him to stop as at Mount Vernon, I have little doubt of his receiving this letter in safety.
The election of representatives in Congress for this State has lately taken place; we have as yet received the returns of only five out of our six election districts: of these we know four have chosen men who have no predilection for any foreign Country—Mr Huger of George town is in the place of Mr Benton—Genl Sumpter is the only member, of whose re-election we have heard, who opposed the measures adopted by Congress at their last meeting.2
Mrs Pinckney begs to unite her kindest wishes and most sincere respects for Mrs Washington and yourself with those of Dear Sir Your affecte & most obedt Servant
Thomas Pinckney
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. Thomas Pinckney (1750–1828) returned from his various diplomatic missions in Europe in September 1796 after more than three years abroad; his brother Charles Cotesworth Pinckney had sailed for Europe in late September 1796 to replace James Monroe as U.S. minister to France and had just returned to the United States.
2. The South Carolina elections were held on 8 October. Thomas Pinckney was reelected, without opposition, to the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina’s Charleston district. Benjamin Huger (1768–1823) served as U.S. representative from South Carolina’s Cheraw district from 1799 to 1805, as a Federalist. His Republican opponent, Lemuel Benton (1754–1818), had been representing the district since 1793. Thomas Sumter (1734–1822) defeated Richard Winn (1750–1818) to gain reelection to his seat in Congress from South Carolina’s Camden district. Sumter and Winn, both Republicans and natives of Virginia, between them represented the Camden district in Congress from 1784 to 1813. Robert Goodloe Harper and John Rutledge, Jr. (1766–1819), both Federalists, were reelected; William Smith (1751–1837), a Republican representing the Spartanburg district, was defeated by Abraham Nott (1768–1830), a Federalist from Connecticut who had arrived in South Carolina in 1789.