Nathaniel Macon to Thomas Jefferson, 7 January 1816
From Nathaniel Macon
Washington 7 Jany 1816
Sir
The Legislature of North Carolina has ordered a full size statue of General Washington of the best marble and workmanship to be procured and put up in the Capitol of the state; The Governor who is authorized to carry the order into execution, has requested me to ascertain whether one worthy the Character [it]1 is to represent & the state which erects it, can be made in the United states, and the sum that it will probably cost, if it cannot be got in this country; The best means of getting one from Italy, the time it may require and the probable cost there
Relying2 on your known and uniform willingness to give information, whenever it has been asked, I have ventured to trouble you on this subject, with which I am entirely unacquainted, It is proper that I should state to you, that it is my intention, to transmit the answer you may give to the Governor
That the evening of your life may be as happy as the Meridian has been usefull, is the3 sincere prayer of
Nathl Macon
RC (DLC); endorsed by TJ as received 21 Jan. 1816 and so recorded in SJL.
The legislature of north carolina voted to procure a statue of George Washington in December 1815 (Journal of the House of Commons [Raleigh, 1816], 52; Journal of the Senate [Raleigh, 1816], 47). The governor was William Miller.
1. Omitted word editorially supplied.
2. Manuscript: “Rlying.”
3. Manuscript: “the the.”
Index Entries
- Macon, Nathaniel; and statue of G. Washington for N.C. state capitol search
- Macon, Nathaniel; letters from search
- Miller, William (governor of N.C.); and statue of G. Washington search
- North Carolina; statue for capitol of search
- sculpture; of G. Washington search
- Washington, George; statue of for N.C. state capitol search