To George Washington from Thomas Bourke, 27 February 1797
From Thomas Bourke
Phila. 27th Febry 1797
Sir
Considering that I have not the honor of being known to you, I fear I shall be justly charged with an unreasonable share of Confidence, in the liberty I take in troubling you with this letter.
About the Middle of last month, Genl Gun & Colo. Tatnal Signified to me their wish of seeing me Appointed Surveyor of the Port of Savannah in the State of Georgia, where I reside, And Genl Gunn was good enough to introduce me to the Secretary of the Treasury;1 whom he requested to have me Nominated, And upon whom I waited a few days after, agreeable to his desire, when he Asked if I had been acquainted with the Gentlemen from Georgia; to which I replied, that I was well acquainted with Genl Gun, Colo. Tatnal & Mr Mellidge; but not with Mr Baldwin, whom I had never Seen; As he lived in the interior parts of Georgia, when Not attending on Congress;2 and begd leave to refer him to these Gentlemen: he then desired to know, whether I was acquainted with Colo. Habersham, and his brother, Major Habersham; to which I answered That I was, and Observed that it was a great inducement with me, to have to do with so amiable, and worthy a Man, as the Collector of Savannah, and there the business ended.3 I could have refered the Secretary, to the Senators, and most of the representatives, from south Car[olin]a, as also to Mr steel, Controler of the Treasury, in respect of my Character &c.4 I have the honor to be, your Excellencies Mo: Obt servt5
Thos Bourke
ALS, DNA: RG 59, State Department, entry 331.
Thomas Bourke was an alderman for the city of Savannah in the early part of the nineteenth century. From April 1813 to May 1814, he served in the U.S. army as deputy quartermaster general with the rank of major. Bourke also served at Savannah under the department of the commissary general of purchases. He may be the Thomas Bourke who was surveyor and inspector of the revenue for Savannah from 1812 until 1820.
1. James Gunn and Josiah Tattnall (Tatnall) were both U.S. senators from Georgia.
2. John Milledge and Abraham Baldwin then represented Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives. Baldwin resided for some time in Augusta and in Wilkes County.
3. Bourke refers to brothers John and Joseph Habersham. A major during the Revolutionary War, John had served since early in GW’s presidency as collector of customs at Savannah (see GW to the U.S. Senate, 3 Aug. 1789).
4. John Steele recently had been appointed comptroller of the U.S. Treasury (see GW to the U.S. Senate, 21 Dec. 1796).
5. No reply to Bourke from GW has been found. On this date, GW unsuccessfully nominated John Gibbons as surveyor and inspector of the revenue at Savannah. President John Adams appointed Edward White to the post in late June (see GW to the U.S. Senate, this date).