John Vaughan to Thomas Jefferson, 22 January 1818
From John Vaughan
Philad. 22. Jany 1818 Evg 9. o’Clock
D sir
The friend of man & of Science Our invaluable friend is no more—within an hour he has been taken from us—The loss of Dr Wistar leaves a breach never to be repair’d to us, or to the public—He has been the focus, round which the votaries of Science & public good collected, he animated them by his counsel & his exemple—Our Society, the Medical School, & almost every useful institution, where knowledge was to be extended or benevolence exercised, found in him a warm & enlightend supporter—
But what can I say to you, that you do not know better than myself—In our feeling & regrets we are equal—He has for years been the greatest source of my comfort & enjoyment & how could it be otherwise when I was gratified by his Society two or three times in every Week whilst he was in Philada & assisted him in many of his useful & philanthopic plans—But I must close my heart is too full to proceed—Yours as ever—
Jn Vaughan
RC (MHi); endorsed by TJ as received 27 Jan. 1818 and so recorded in SJL. RC (DLC); address cover only; with PoC of TJ to Wilson Cary Nicholas, 26 Mar. 1818, on recto and verso; addressed: “Thomas Jefferson Monticello Virginia”; franked; postmarked Philadelphia, 22 Jan.
Caspar Wistar was an officer of the American Philosophical Society (our society) and the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania.
Index Entries
- American Philosophical Society; and C. Wistar search
- Pennsylvania, University of search
- schools and colleges; University of Pennsylvania search
- Vaughan, John; and C. Wistar search
- Vaughan, John; letters from search
- Wistar, Caspar; and American Philosophical Society search
- Wistar, Caspar; and J. Vaughan search
- Wistar, Caspar; death of search