To George Washington from Nicholas Cooke, 12 July 1775
From Nicholas Cooke
Providence July 12th 1775
Sir,
I beg Leave to congratulate your Excellency upon your being appointed General of the Armies of the United Colonies; which hath given sincere Pleasure to every Friend of America, and will I hope prove glorious to yourself, and be attended with essential Advantages to your Country.
The General Assembly of this Colony have the deepest Sense of the Necessity of a strict Union, and the most vigorous Efforts, of the Colonies to preserve them from unlimited Servitude; and their utmost Exertions in the common Cause may be depended upon.
I also assure your Excellency that I shall give you every possible Assistance in my Power; and that I am with very great Regard, Sir, Your Excellency’s most obedient humble Servant
Nichols Cooke
LS, DLC:GW.
Nicholas Cooke (1717–1782), a merchant and distiller in Providence, was elected deputy governor of Rhode Island on 3 May 1775 and almost immediately became acting governor when the colony’s general assembly, offended by Gov. Joseph Wanton’s Loyalist sympathies, prohibited him from renewing his oath of office. The assembly declared the governorship vacant in November 1775, and Cooke was elected to the office in his own right. He served until May 1778.