Thomas Jefferson to Patrick Magruder and Samuel A. Otis, 26 March 1812
To Patrick Magruder and Samuel A. Otis
Monticello Mar. 26. 12.
Sir,
The proceedings of the Executive of the US. in the case of the Batture of New Orleans, which have been the subject of complaint on the part of Edward Livingston, not having been explained through the medium of a judiciary trial as was expected,1 I have thought it due to the nation at large, to the National legislature, and to the Executive to make that explanation public through the ordinary channel of the press. and I have therefore taken the liberty of desiring mr Sargeant of New York, the printer, to send under cover to yourself 144.2 copies, of which I will ask the favor of you to lay one copy on the desk of each member of the House3 of Representatives for their acceptance. I salute you with assurances of esteem & respect.
Th: Jefferson
PoC (DLC); letter to Magruder, with TJ’s emendations to show what went to Otis; at foot of text: “Mr Patrick Magruder Clerk of the H. of R of the US” and (added separately) “Mr Samuel A. Otis Secretary of the Senate”; endorsed by TJ as a letter to Otis and Magruder, but recorded in SJL only as a letter to Otis.
Samuel Allyne Otis (1740–1814), secretary of the United States Senate, 1789–1814, was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard College in 1759. He read law briefly but established himself as a merchant in Boston by 1762. During the American Revolution, Otis acted as a clothier and deputy quartermaster general for the Continental army. He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1776 and again from 1781–87, including service as Speaker, and he represented the state in the Confederation Congress, 1787–88. Under the new constitution Otis became the first secretary of the United States Senate and, despite his Federalist sympathies, he held the post until his death (, 14:471–80; John J. Waters Jr., The Otis Family in Provincial and Revolutionary Massachusetts [1968; repr. 1975]; , 23:114–5; Washington Daily National Intelligencer, 23 Apr. 1814).
1. Preceding three words interlined.
2. Above this number TJ interlined “35.”
3. Above this word TJ interlined “Senate.”
Index Entries
- Congress, U.S.; TJ’s batture pamphlet sent to search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Writings; The Proceedings of the Government of the United States, in maintaining the Public Right to the Beach of the Missisipi, Adjacent to New-Orleans, against the Intrusion of Edward Livingston search
- Magruder, Patrick; clerk of U.S. House of Representatives search
- Magruder, Patrick; letters to search
- Otis, Samuel Allyne; identified search
- Otis, Samuel Allyne; letters to search
- Otis, Samuel Allyne; secretary of U.S. Senate search
- Sargeant, Ezra; prints batture pamphlet search
- The Proceedings of the Government of the United States, in maintaining the Public Right to the Beach of the Missisipi, Adjacent to New-Orleans, against the Intrusion of Edward Livingston (Thomas Jefferson); sent to Congress search
- The Proceedings of the Government of the United States, in maintaining the Public Right to the Beach of the Missisipi, Adjacent to New-Orleans, against the Intrusion of Edward Livingston (Thomas Jefferson); sent to TJ search