To Thomas Jefferson from Stephen Thacher, 25 August 1803
From Stephen Thacher
Kennebunk August 25, 1803
Sir,
The subscriber takes the liberty, in the most respectful manner, to solicit the honor of being permitted to present to the President of the United States the oration which he now presumes to enclose to him.
Sir, may a private individual, be allowed, with sentiments of profound veneration to embrace the Father of his country, & be indulged in the freedom of communicating to the President the name of his most obedient and most humble servant
Stephen Thacher
RC (DLC); at foot of text: “The President of the United States”; endorsed by TJ as received 5 Sep. and so recorded in SJL. Enclosure: Stephen Thacher, Oration, Pronounced at Kennebunk, District of Maine, on the Anniversary of American Independence, July 4, 1803 (Boston, 1803; Nos. 3298, 4683).
Connecticut native and Yale graduate Stephen Thacher (1774-1859) was a teacher and theology student in Massachusetts before relocating to Kennebunk, Maine, in 1803, where he engaged in trade. An ardent Republican, Thacher went on to hold a number of state and federal offices, including probate judge, postmaster, and collector for the port of Passamaquoddy (, 5:168-9).