To George Washington from Daniel Benezet, Jr., April 1790
From Daniel Benezet, Jr.
[April 1790]
His Excellency the President of the United States
The Petition of the Subscriber resident at Great Egg Harbour in the County of Gloucester in the State of New Jersey Humbly Sheweth that your Petitioner is informed a Port of Entry is appointed on Great Egg harbour aforesaid and that an Officer of the Customs is to be appointed at said Port, therefore your Petitioner with all Deferrence solicits the Honour of being commissioned for said Office & begs leave to refer your Excellency to the Honourable Robert Morris William Patterson & Jonothan Elmer Esquirs. of the Senate & the Honourable the Speaker of the House of Representatives & Thomas Fitzsimonds & Thomas Sinnickson Esquires of House of Representatives for his Character & your Petitioner as in Duty bound will ever Pray
Daniel Benezet Junior
ALS, DLC:GW.
Daniel Benezet, Jr. (1760–1798), was born in Philadelphia, the son of merchant Daniel Benezet and grandson of Philadelphia reformer and antislavery advocate Anthony Benezet. During the later stages of the Revolution, the younger Benezet served in the Pennsylvania militia and was made a second lieutenant in 1780. By 1790 he was established in Great Egg Harbor, where he operated a gristmill and a sawmill and was a justice of the peace for Gloucester County. Benezet sent his application to his father in Philadelphia, who enclosed it in a letter of his own to Robert Morris on 30 April 1790. Morris presented the letter and application to GW on 3 May 1790. All of these letters are in DLC:GW. GW appointed Benezet collector of customs at Great Egg Harbor on 7 Aug. 1790, and the Senate confirmed his appointment on the same day ( 2:90). Benezet was appointed excise inspector on 6 Mar. 1792.