George Runnels to Thomas Jefferson, 18 October 1822
From George Runnels
N York, 18th October 1822
Sir!—
Accompanying this you will find a letter from my Father—in which I am highly interested1—. I should be happy to know of its safe arrival—& pray you so far to condescend as to write me a few lines on the rect of it—
G Runnels
RC (MHi); endorsed by TJ as received 22 Oct. 1822 and so recorded in SJL. Enclosure: Abraham Runnels to TJ, 9 Sept. 1822.
George Runnels (d. 1832), physician, was born on the Caribbean island of Saint-Barthélemy, the son of TJ’s correspondent Abraham Runnels and the grandson of Johannes Runnels, the former Dutch colonial governor of Saint Eustatius. The younger Runnels reportedly studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Although his father’s misfortunes in business led him to withdraw prior to graduation, he practiced medicine in Puerto Rico. By early in 1822 Runnels was in New York City for his own medical treatment, and he unsuccessfully sought an appointment as a commercial agent to any available port in the British West Indies. He was in Saint Martin by 1823. Runnels continued to practice medicine there and later in Saint Eustatius (Daniel P. Kidder, ed., The Persecuting Governor [1849], 46, 73, 87–8; Abraham Runnels to TJ, 9 Sept. 1822; Stackelberg to TJ, 29 Oct. 1822; DNA: RG 59, LAR, 1817–25).
1. Manuscript: “intereted.”
2. Manuscript: “pleease.”
3. Manuscript: “Bloomigdale.”
Index Entries
- Jefferson, Thomas; Correspondence; letters of application and recommendation to search
- patronage; letters of application and recommendation to TJ search
- Rey, Mrs. (of New York) search
- Runnels, Abraham; seeks appointment for son search
- Runnels, George; identified search
- Runnels, George; letter from search
- Runnels, George; seeks appointment search