To George Washington from Alexander Hamilton, 10 November 1796
From Alexander Hamilton
N. York Nov. 10. 1796
Sir
I have been employed in makg and have actually completed a rough draft on the followg heads “National University, Military Academy, Board of Agriculture, Establishment of such manufactories on public account as are relative to the equipment of Army & navy, to the extent of the public demand for supply, & excludg all the branches already well established in the country—The gradual & successive creation of a Navy—compensations to public Officers—Reinforcement of provision for public Debt” I send you this enumeration that you may see the objects which I shall prepare for—But I must beg your patience till the beginning of the next week for the transmission of the draft, as I am a good deal pressed for time.1
The Legislature having appointed Mr Laurance district Judge—a successor will of course be to be provided—A conviction of his competency, a high opinion of his worth, and a long established personal friendship induce me to take the liberty of precipitating a recommendation to you of Mr Troupe, the present Clerk of the District and Circuit court2 (the Attorney of the District being known to be disinclined to the Office).3 Mr Troupe is a lawyer, professionally very respectable, so that his practice is inferior in productiveness to no other—but he has by the most unexceptionable means acquired a property sufficient to make it reasonable in him to withdraw f⟨r⟩om practice upon a salary such as that of the District Judge & latterly his health has somewhat suffered from a long course of excessive application—His moral character is without an imputation of any sort—indeed no man in the state is better esteemed than this Gentleman—So that, I believe, the appointment would be considered as altogether fit. I trust however that in expressing myself thus strongly it will not occasion to you a moment’s embarrassment, if any candidate more agreeable to you shall occur. Very respe[c]tfully & Affecty I have the honor to be Sir Yr Obed. servant
A. Hamilton
ALS, DLC:GW. GW acknowleged receipt of the present document when he wrote Hamilton on 12 November.
1. Sunday, 13 Nov., marked the beginning of the following week.
Hamilton was preparing a draft for GW’s annual message to Congress. The draft touched on various themes for inclusion in the message, such as the establishment of a national university, military academy, and navy, and the creation of agricultural boards. These and other topics were incorporated into the final version of the annual message (see GW to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 7 Dec., and the source note to that document). For Hamilton’s full draft of the annual message, see , 20:382–88. The previous summer, GW had solicited Hamilton’s input on the content of the address (see GW to Hamilton, 10 Aug., found at Hamilton to GW, 30 July, n.2; see also Hamilton to GW, 4 and 5 Sept., and GW to Hamilton, 1 and 6 Sept. and 2 Nov.).
2. On 9 Nov., the New York legislature had passed a resolution appointing John Laurance as a U.S. senator “in the place of the Hon. Rufus King,” who had been selected to serve as U.S. minister to Great Britain (, 18–19; see also GW to the U.S. Senate, 19 May, first letter). Laurance’s election to the Senate caused him to resign on 30 Nov. as U.S. district judge for New York, an office he had held since 1794. GW nominated Robert Troup in his place (see GW to the U.S. Senate, 9 Dec., and n.1 to that document).
3. In 1794, Richard Harison, the U.S. district attorney for New York from 1789 to 1801, had declined GW’s nomination of him as district judge (see Harison to GW, 21 April 1794; see also GW to the U.S. Senate, 5 May 1794, and n.3).