Papers of John Adams, volume 20
d.1790.
Permit me to introduce to your acquaintance Mr. Blodget, tho’ I believe you may recollect seeing him in London—he will
present himself to the President being charged with the prosecution of a plan 441 relative to the building of the fœdral City,1 he is a young man of great property and
supported in his project by most undoubted security, he will if you give him an
opportunity communicate his intentions out of civility and respect for your Character
and station but has not the most distant wish, that you should in any manner interest
yourself in the business, but as it will doubtless become a matter of conversation, your
knowing from himself the principles of his project will be sufficient master of the
subject to say when it is mentioned what you think of it, founding your observations on
the engenuity of the project the Genius of a Boston Lad, & the effect it will have
on the public purse— You will oblige me by telling him I have written to you on the
subject as I promised him I would, & as a young rising Genius, I think him at least
entitled to smiles and protection, remember me to Mrs: Adams
Mr. Thomas & kiss my dear boy for me.2
I am Dr. Sir—yours sincerely
RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “The Vice President—”
Goffstown, N.H., native Samuel Blodget Jr. (1757–1814) was a real
estate speculator and amateur architect. News of the president’s October tour of the
Georgetown, D.C., area, which was designated for the capital, sparked the interest of
investors like Blodget. Once the president finalized the federal seat’s location on
the Potomac River in a 24 Jan. 1791 message to Congress, construction proposals poured
in. Only then did Blodget act, purchasing five lots of land for $10,000 at the first
auction, on 17–19 October. He also put forth an ambitious proposal to create a main
thoroughfare in the new capital, but it was rejected (Jefferson, Papers
,
23:225; 34:xli; Bryan, Hist. of the National Capital
, 1:108–109, 119,
187–190; Washington, Papers, Presidential Series
, 9:196, 230–231, 391;
10:649).
Shortly after writing this letter, WSS made a
“sudden and unexpected” trip to England to settle family debts and to pursue a
speculative business venture. In London he met unofficially with William Wyndham
Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, the British home secretary, on 9 April, and discussed
the possibility of sending a minister to the United States. Failing to achieve success
on any front, WSS returned to New York City on 5 June and relayed his
private conversation to George Washington, who thanked WSS for his
efforts (
AFC
, 9:156,
157, 222).