To Benjamin Franklin from Samuel Huntington, 24 December 1784
From Samuel Huntington8
ALS: American Philosophical Society
Norwich, in Connecticutt Decemr 24th: 1784
Sir
This address will be accompanied with an application from Mr Andrew Huntington requesting your Aid in order to obtain a ballance due to him for monies he advanced, to relieve Some French Troops in distress, at the request of Mr Holker, then Consul; The loss is great to Mr Huntington more than he can well Sustain, & he thinks it extreemly hard that he Should Suffer so much, merely for his ready & faithfull compliance with the request of Mr Holker.9
Mr Huntington is a person of good reputation, & the loss he Sustains is severely felt by him, tho’ it would be of less Importance to a gentleman of great affluence, & Inconsiderable to a Nation—
Your love of Justice, I am Satisfied, will readily dispose you to grant him the needfull aid so far as your more Important engagements shall permit.1
I have the honour, to be with every Sentiment of Esteem & Regard your most obedient humble Servt
Sam. Huntingtgn
Honble B. Franklin
Addressed: The Honorable / B. Franklin Esqr / Minister at the Court / of Versailles
8. This is Huntington’s first extant communication to BF since he resigned the presidency of Congress in 1781. He became chief justice of the Superior Court of Connecticut in 1784: Huntington Family Association, The Huntington Family in America … (Hartford, 1915), pp. 547–8.
9. Huntington enclosed a letter from Andrew, his second cousin once removed. Andrew’s was a copy of the appeal he had sent to BF on July 19, 1783 (XLII, 423–6), to which he appended a brief note dated Dec. 1, 1784: although he was certain that his previous appeal must have arrived safely, as it had gone by the packet, he was sending a duplicate by way of Samuel Huntington, “who I trust will recommend my case to your Attention.” Samuel Huntington, after writing the present letter, sent it and the enclosures back to Andrew, presumably for forwarding to France: Samuel Huntington to Andrew Huntington, Dec. 24, 1784, Gallery of History, June 18, 1997, sale catalogue, p. 35, item 158; Huntington Family Association, The Huntington Family in America, pp. 477, 543–50.
1. There is no evidence that BF pursued Andrew Huntington’s case. Huntington later sought help from TJ, who declined to intervene: Jefferson Papers, XI, 643; XII, 130–1.