1. Cocke, a member of the U.S. Senate from Tennessee, probably wrote this letter from Philadelphia.

2. See GW to William Blount and Cocke, this date.

3. Cocke refers to David Campbell’s letter to GW of 15 Oct. 1796, the cover of which specifies that it was delivered by “Wm Cocke Senator.” The letter, written from the “State of Tennessee,” reads: “The State of Tennessee is accepted as a member of the Fœderal Government. A District Judge will be appointed. I offer my talents & experience to the United States. I feel willing to act as District Judge if you will please to honor me with the appointment. perhaps you recognize me. I had the honor of acting in the Judiciary under an appointment from you. I believe it is understodd I discharged the Duties of that office with strict attention & fidelity” (ALS, DLC:GW). Tennessee was admitted as a state on 1 June 1796. Campbell’s allusion to his earlier judicial service refers to his 1790 appointment as judge of the Southwest Territory. For Campbell’s earlier application for the office of district judge, see his letter to GW of 10 April 1796.

4. On 8 April 1796, the Tennessee House of Representatives had nominated Campbell as a candidate to fill one of three proposed judgeships in the state superior courts of law and equity. The following day, both houses of the state legislature appointed John McNairy, Blount’s half brother Wille Blount, and Archibald Roane as the superior court judges (see Tennessee House Journal 1796 description begins Journal of the House of Representatives of the State of Tennessee: Begun and Held at Knoxville, on Monday, the Twenty-Eighth of March, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety Six. Knoxville, 1796. description ends , 34, 40; see also David Ross to William Claiborne, 6 Dec. 1796, and n.4, printed as an enclosure to John Blair to GW, 16 Dec.). Campbell eventually was appointed one of the Tennessee superior court judges in October 1797. Despite legislative attempts to impeach him, he served until 1807 (see Ely and Brown, Legal Papers of Andrew Jackson description begins James W. Ely, Jr. and Theodore Brown, Jr., eds. Legal Papers of Andrew Jackson. Knoxville, Tenn., 1987. description ends , 360–61).

For articulations of uncertainty about Campbell’s legal competency, see Francis Preston to GW, 25 Jan.; and Andrew Jackson to GW, 8 February.

5. Joseph Anderson, a former territorial judge, had recommended Campbell as federal district judge (see Anderson to GW, 2 Nov. 1796). For the recommendations of John Rhea for the post, see Blount and Cocke to GW, 17 Jan. 1797; see also Preston to GW, 25 January.

6. Blount went to New York in late January 1797, both on personal business pertaining to his financial woes, and to meet with Nicholas Romayne, a New York physician and land speculator. According to a deposition given by Romayne, Blount “about the beginning of February last [1797] … came to New York on business of his own.” He apparently spent “several days” there, including one or two nights at Romayne’s home, where they conversed about politics and “landed property” in the United States. Blount informed Romayne that he had been “concerned in administering the Government” in Tennessee “on the subject of which … he had been treated very ill by the President, or some of the Executive officers of the United States.” Blount and Romayne also allegedly discussed recent events in France, and conversed about the possibility of a British seizure of Louisiana and U.S. possession of the Floridas (Annals of Congress description begins Joseph Gales, Sr., comp. The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an Appendix, Containing Important State Papers and Public Documents, and All the Laws of a Public Nature. 42 vols. Washington, D.C., 1834–56. description ends , 5th Cong., 2d sess., 2356–60). This related to the scheme supported by Blount and ex-British soldier John Chisholm to bring Louisiana and Spanish Florida under British control through a joint British and Indian military operation. They expected that such an event would promote improved western land values and contribute to Blount’s Yazoo interests. For more, see Masterson, Blount description begins William H. Masterson. William Blount. Baton Rouge, La., 1954. description ends , 302–23. Blount’s involvement in this scheme led to his expulsion from the U.S. Senate in July 1797.

7. Blount wrote GW about Campbell’s candidacy for federal district judge on 9 February.