From George Washington to the United States Senate, 29 May 1794
To the United States Senate
United States 29th May 1794.
Gentlemen of the Senate,
I nominate John Quincy Adams, of Massachusetts, to be minister resident of the United States of America, to their High Mightinesses, the States general of the United Netherlands.1
On the 19 day of Feby 1793 a nomination was made of Edward Fox, as Consul of the United States of America for the port of Falmouth in Great Britain. It now appears that the name of the person, intended to be nominated is Robert Weare Fox.2 I therefore nominate the said Robert Weare Fox, to be Consul of the United States of America for the port of Falmouth, in the Kingdom of Great Britain; and for such other parts of the said Kingdom as shall be nearer to the said port, than to the residence of any other Consul or vice Consul of the United States within the same Kingdom.
Go: Washington
LS, DNA: RG 46, Third Congress, 1793-95, Senate Records of Executive Proceedings, President’s Messages—Executive Nominations; LB, DLC:GW.
1. The Senate confirmed this nomination on 30 May (Senate Executive Journal, 159).
2. There apparently was no Edward Fox at Falmouth. Robert Were Fox (1754-1818) received the letters addressed to Edward Fox by then-secretary of state Thomas Jefferson and wrote Jefferson on 8 June 1793 to inform him of the mistake (DNA: RG 59, Despatches from United States Consuls in Falmouth, 1790-1905; see also Jefferson Papers, 26:231). Robert W. Fox, a Quaker, was a principal partner in the mercantile, mining, and shipping firm of George C. Fox & Sons, which had been performing the consular functions at Falmouth, and he functioned as acting consul at Falmouth until this nomination. He continued as consul until his death.