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A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journals of the Continental Congress --TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1781
The secretary laid before Congress a letter from the President in the words following: Whereupon,
Sir: I must beg you to remind Congress, that when they did me the honor of electing me President, and before I assumed the Chair, I informed them, that as Chief Justice of Pensylvania, I should be under the necessity of attending the Supreme Court of that State, the latter end of September, or at farthest in October. That court will
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be held to-day; I must therefore request, that they will be pleased to proceed to the choice of another President.
I am, sir, with much respect, your most obedient humble servant,
Thos. McKean.
Philadelphia, October 23d, 1781.
Charles Thomson, Esquire,
Secretary of Congress.1
[Note 1: 1 This letter is in the Papers of the Continental Congress, No. 78, XVI, folio 265.]
Resolved, That the resignation of Mr. [Thomas] McKean is accepted.
Ordered, That the election of a President be postponed until to-morrow.
Congress proceeded to the election of auditors; and, the ballots being taken, Mr. William Govett was elected, having been previously nominated by Mr. [Roger] Sherman.
Ordered, That the election of the other auditor be postponed.
A report from the Board of War was read, with sundry papers enclosed containing an estimate of the monies necessary for the War Department for the ensuing year:
Ordered, That the same be referred to a committee of three:
The members, Mr. [James Mitchell] Varnum, Mr. [John] Hanson, Mr. [Elias] Boudinot.
On motion of Mr. [Edmund] Randolph, seconded by Mr. [Roger] Sherman,
Resolved, That the superintendant of finance be, and hereby is authorised to correspond with the several foreign ministers of these United States, as often as there shall be occasion, upon subjects relating to his department.2
[Note 2: 2 This resolution was also entered in the manuscript Secret Journal, Foreign Affairs.]
[Adjourned to 10 o'Clock to-morrow.]
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