To James Madison from William Plumer, 30 March 1816
From William Plumer
Epping March 30th 1816.
Dear Sir,
The office of collector of the port of Portsmouth in this state being vacant by the death of the former collector, permit me to recommend Col. Timothy Upham of that town as a person well qualified for that office. He is a gentleman of strict integrity & of an unblemished moral character; a good scholar, & correct accountant.1
The services he rendered the nation, as an officer in the late war, the injuries he sustained in that service in both property & health, are circumstances, combined with his being a disbanded officer, that will, I am confident, entitle him to your favorable notice.
He is a firm decided republican, & has from early life zealously & industriously supported that cause, whatever reports may have circulated to the contrary. I say this not from the reports of others, but from personal knowledge. Many of the leading federalists in the State, dispairing of having a man of their party appointed, have recommended him, not because they consider him of their politics, but because they believe him better qualified than some others who may wish the office. I am with much respect & esteem, Sir, your obedient
William Plumer
Letterbook copy (DLC: William Plumer Letterbook).
1. Timothy Upham of New Hampshire served as a lieutenant colonel in the Twenty-First Regiment of Infantry between 1813 and 1815. JM nominated him to be collector of Portsmouth on 15 Apr. 1816, and the Senate confirmed him three days later ( 1:978; 3:43, 46).