To James Madison from William P. Duval, 14 November 1826
From William P. Duval
Tallahassee Novbr. 14th: 1826
Dear sir
Coln. Edgar Macon has been most wantonly and crewlly persecuted by a set of unprincipled and abandoned men in St Augustine—every attempt has been made by Judge Smith1 to put him down in disgrace and the Government by vile misrepresentations have also been deceived so far as to aid in depriving Mr M[a]con of his office. I know this young gentleman to2 honorable, frank, and independant, and these traits of character constitute, all the offences and charges that have been made against him. So far as my support and limited influence could be exercised they were always used for his advantage and so long as I continue in my present station he shall find me ready to render him any service in my power. I have ventured to write to you on this subject as you must feel some solicitude for Mr Macon, and to assure you that whatever reports may reach you in relation to his conduct, which your own mind might condemn as improper, will prove to be false.
Mr. Macon will triumph over his enimies and yet succeed I hope, as his friends may desire. I shall treat him as my son, and now hope in a short time to have his company here. You may have learned that the People have elected him a member of our council. I am with great respect and esteem your Obt Sevt
Wm P Duval
RC (DLC). Docketed by JM.
1. Joseph Lee Smith (1779–1846), born in New Britain, Connecticut, was a Yale graduate who read law at the Litchfield Law Academy. He served as major of the Twenty-Fifth Regiment of Infantry during the War of 1812, retiring as a colonel in 1821. A year later, he was appointed a federal judge in East Florida. Smith’s antipathy toward JM’s nephew, Edgar Macon, fanned by the latter’s accusations of judicial misconduct, resulted in Macon’s dismissal in 1826. Smith was not reappointed in 1832, but he practiced law in St. Augustine until his death (Walter W. Manley II et al., The Supreme Court of Florida and Its Predecessor Courts, 1821–1917 [Gainesville, Fla., 1997], 25–30).
2. Duval omitted “be” here.