Charles Simms (1755–1819) rose from major to lieutenant colonel in Virginia regiments of the Continental army, 1776–79. He later opened a law office in Alexandria and represented Fairfax County in the Virginia House of Delegates, 1785–86, 1792, and 1796, and at the Virginia ratification convention of 1788, where he supported the new United States Constitution. President John Adams appointed Simms customs collector for the Alexandria district in 1799, and he held the post until his death. In that capacity he occasionally had dealings with TJ. Simms also served as mayor of Alexandria, one of the directors of the Bank of Alexandria, and president of the Potomac Company (Heitman, Continental Army description begins Francis B. Heitman, comp., Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution, April, 1775, to December, 1783, rev. ed., 1914 description ends , 497; Leonard, General Assembly description begins Cynthia Miller Leonard, comp., The General Assembly of Virginia, July 30, 1619–January 11, 1978: A Bicentennial Register of Members, 1978 description ends , 156, 172, 187, 203; Merrill Jensen, John P. Kaminski, and others, eds., The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution [1976– ], 8:168–9, 10:1585; T. Michael Miller, comp., Artisans and Merchants of Alexandria, Virginia 1780–1820 [1991–92], 1:20, 2:44–5; JEP description begins Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States description ends , 1:325–6, 327 [5, 10 Dec. 1799]; PTJ description begins Julian P. Boyd, Charles T. Cullen, John Catanzariti, Barbara B. Oberg, and others, eds., The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, 1950– , 31 vols. description ends , 29:193–6; MB description begins James A. Bear Jr. and Lucia C. Stanton, eds., Jefferson’s Memorandum Books: Accounts, with Legal Records and Miscellany, 1767–1826, 1997, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Second Series description ends , 2:1325, 1341, 1348; Washington National Intelligencer, 12 Mar. 1812; Washington Daily National Intelligencer, 1 Sept. 1819; Alexandria Co. Account Book, 4:139–40, 158–9; Alexandria Co. Will Book, 2:358–61).