To Thomas Jefferson from John Condit, 28 June 1802
From John Condit
Essex County State New Jesey
June 28th 1802
Sir
Having been requested a short time before I left the City of Washington to consult my Colleagues and recommend some persons for General Commissioners of Bankruptcy in this State—But not being fully satisfied in our minds who to mention, We thought it best to Omit it, Untill we should return into the State, and consult our friends on the Subject—this having been done, it is thought it would be convenient for the State to have Six Commissioners Appointed— Three in the eastern part, and three in the western part of the State—In the Eastern part After Advising with Mr. Ketchell Mr. Southard and Others, as to the most proper Characters, I would Recommend Col. Thomas Ward of Essex County Phineas Manning Esqr. of Middlesex County And John Cobb Esqr. of Morris County—they Are all Men of Respectability, Integrity, and knowledge in Business—they are also well Disposed towards the present Administration—the other three in the Western part of the State Will be Named and Recommended by Governor Bloomfield—whose knowledge And Acquaintance in that part of the State, together with advice he has received from my Colleague Mr. Mott and others, will enable him to make a Nomination of the most Deserving and Suitable Characters—I have therefore no doubt but the Persons herein Named, and those that will be Named by the Governor will do Justice to the appointment and give as General Satisfaction as Possible—
This will be received Under Cover from the Governor to Whom I shall enclose it, that the Whole recommendations may go Together— Mr. Ketchells Letter to me on the Subject will be enclosed also—
I have the Honor to be Sir, with great Respect Your Obedt. Servt—
John Condit
RC (DNA: RG 59, LAR); at head of text: “To the President of the United States”; endorsed by TJ as received 3 July and “Commrs. bkrptcy” and so recorded in SJL. Enclosure: Aaron Kitchell to Condit, 26 June 1802, recommending John Cobb of Morris County, a merchant who understands accounts and serves as a judge of the court of common pleas; he is a Republican in principles, but “by no means Violent” making him acceptable “even to the federal party” (RC in DNA: RG 59, LAR). Enclosed in Bloomfield to TJ, 30 June 1802.
Born in Orange, New Jersey, John Condit (1755–1834) studied medicine and served for a short time as a surgeon in the Revolutionary War. He returned to Essex County where he developed a medical practice, farmed, and in 1785 became a founder and trustee of the Orange Academy. He was a member of the New Jersey Assembly from 1788 to 1789 and of the Council from 1790 to 1798. Condit, Aaron Kitchell, and James Linn, three leaders of the Jeffersonian Republicans in the state, won election to Congress in 1798. In 1800, New Jersey Republicans swept the state’s five congressional districts. Condit served in the House of Representatives from 1799 to 1803 and in the U.S. Senate from 1803 to 1817. Elected again to serve in the Sixteenth Congress, Condit resigned his House seat in November 1819 to accept an appointment as assistant collector of the port of New York in Jersey City, a position he held until 1830 when he was removed for criticism of President Jackson’s policies (; ; , 26–7, 31, 65; Walter R. Fee, The Transition from Aristocracy to Democracy in New Jersey, 1789–1829 [Somerville, N.J., 1933], 96–7).
CONSULT MY COLLEAGUES: the other members of the New Jersey delegation in the House of Representatives in 1802 were Ebenezer Elmer, William Helms, James Mott, and Henry Southard, all Republicans (; , 63–8).
TJ appointed the three candidates recommended by Condit for the EASTERN PART of New Jersey (see Bloomfield to TJ, 30 June).