To James Madison from Thomas Jefferson, 24 March 1823
From Thomas Jefferson
Monticello Mar. 24. 23.
Dear Sir
Mr. Dodge,1 our Consul at Marseilles, wishing to pay his respects to you on his way to Richmd. and apprehending that altho presented to you some half dozen years ago, you may not now recollect him, requests me to give him a line of re-introduction.2 You will find him a person of very general information and good sense, and particularly familiar with the affairs of Southern Europe.
We shall hope to see mrs. Madison & yourself some time before the 7th. prox. I hope you recieved mine of the 14th. inclosing the recommendatory papers of a mr. O’Flaherty to be returned at your convenience that I may restore them to him. Ever and affectionately yours
Th: Jefferson
RC (MoSHi).
1. Joshua Dodge (1791–1872) of Salem, Massachusetts, was U.S. consul at Marseilles, 1820–30, consul at Bremen, 1834–40, and special tobacco agent in Europe. He was a principal in the firm of Dodge & Oxnard. In October 1815 William Bentley wrote JM a letter of recommendation for Dodge, noting that he was “of one of our best & most antient families, of irreproachable manners, of correct principles, of good talent, & of experience, & of sure patriotism” (Joseph Thompson Dodge, Genealogy of the Dodge Family of Essex County, Mass. 1629–1894 [2 vols.; Madison, Wisc., 1894], 1:143; , 3:186, 188, 197, 4:52, 344, 348; New-Bedford Mercury, 7 Feb. 1840; , 9:300; Bentley to JM, 30 Oct. 1815, DLC).
2. “We had a visit from Mr Dodge of Marseilles (Consul) Your Papa gave him a commission to send us some good Claret, Hermitage, Oil, some other light wines, & some Mackeroni—which is better than giveing you the trouble to purchase at Phila.” (Dolley Madison to John Payne Todd, 12 Apr. 1823, Mattern and Shulman, Selected Letters of Dolley Payne Madison, 249).