To George Washington from John Page, 14 July 1789
From John Page
New York July 14th 1789
Sir
As the Time is now almost arrived when you will proceed to appoint the Officers of Government, I can no longer refrain from mentioning such Persons to you as have requested me to do so on this Occasion. That I might not be troublesome I have contented myself with stating with their Names the Offices they wished for & the Person recommending them.1 I have taken the Liberty of inclosing a few Letters as explanatory of some of their Claims to Appointm⟨ent⟩ but ⟨p⟩resume not to trouble you with any Recommendations of my own2—I have the Honor to be your most obedient humble Servant
John Page
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. The enclosed list recommended the following individuals: Andrew Ellicott for geographer of the United States, Robert Andrews for judge of the court of admiralty, William Lindsay for collector at Norfolk, Abraham Archer for collector at York, Va., Samuel Eddins for surveyor at York, William Reynolds for naval officer at York, Hudson Muse for collector at Urbanna, Va., Staige Davis for surveyor at Urbanna, and John Jones for surveyor at Tappahannock. Jacob Wray, who “applies for no Office,” Edward Stevens, James Gibbon, Baylor Hill, Benjamin Pollard, William A. Bayley, David Meade Randolph, Dr. Robert Geddes, Simon Nathan, Thomas Lilly, and Francis Bright were all recommended for unspecified employment under the federal government. Page also included the names of individuals recommending the applicants (DLC:GW).
2. Page also enclosed three letters asking employment addressed to himself, two from Simon Nathan, one dated 7 May 1789 and the other undated, and one from Andrew Ellicott dated 1 June 1789 (DLC:GW).