From Samuel Griffin to John Adams, 12 January 1797
From Samuel Griffin
Richmond 12th January 1797—
Permit me much respected Sir, to congratulate Your Excellency, as well as the good Citizens of America, on Your late election to the Presidency of the United States, and to assure You Sir, that from every information that can be collected, it was the general wish of most of the good people of Virginia, who are attached, to order & good Government, that this happy & fortunate event should take place, and I trust (notwithstanding the newspaper calumny) You will in the course of Your Adminstration experience as full and Ample support from this as from any other State in the Union—
Should You Sir, be in want of a Young Man to live in Your family as a Secretary or for any other purpose, I take the liberty at the request of some friends, to Recommend to Your notice, Mr John Griffin a Son of Judge Griffins, he is twenty five Years old, of fair Character & has had a liberal education, has spent two Years in England & nearly the same time in France, and I am told by good Judges, understands the french Language tolerably well, his Auacity to be honord with a place in Your excellencys family has been my principal motive for hazarding this solicitation—1 with a fervent prayer for the health happiness and prosperity of Yourself and family I am / with due respect & esteem / Sir / Your obdt freind & servt
Saml Griffin
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excellency / John Adams Esqr.”
1. Col. Samuel Griffin (1746–1810), a Richmond County, Va., lawyer, represented Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1789 to 1795. JA later named John Griffin (1771–1849) to serve as a judge in the Indiana Territory; he was the son of Cyrus (1748–1810), of Farnham, Va., who had served as U.S. District Court judge for Virginia since 1789 (; , 15:191).