About
Preeson Bowdoin (1734-1803) was a Virginia merchant. He was a partner in the Norfolk firm of Phripp & Bowdoin (later Phripp, Bowdoin & Phripp) with John and Matthew Phripp. He served as commercial agent for the state of Virginia during the Confederacy and later as U.S. consul. He met Short in Phi Beta Kappa at the College of William and Mary. In his letters, often profane, Bowdoin teases Short about living abroad, including commenting on how speaking English increases the price of goods and advising Short to take a mistress, but not a wife in France.
Citation(s):
“Preeson Bowdoin to George Washington, 6 May 1776,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-04-02-0179. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 4, 1 April 1776 – 15 June 1776, ed. Philander D. Chase. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1991, p. 218.]
George G. Shackleford, Jefferson’s Adoptive Son: The Life of William Short, 1759-1848 (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky Press, 1993), passim.
“Thomas Newton, Jr., to George Washington, 9 June 1795,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-18-02-0159. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 18, 1 April–30 September 1795, ed. Carol S. Ebel. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2015, pp. 205–206.]
Peter Thompson, Heir through Hope: Thomas Jefferson's Lifelong Investment in William Short (New York: Oxford University Press, 2023), passim.
Internal evidence.
Places wrote from:
Each marker represents a document written by . Select a number to see a group of documents written from the same location.
Places written from
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- A friend and fellow Phi Beta Kappa member writes to William Short, describing his travels in Europe and discussing sexual encounters.Written by:
- A friend and fellow Phi Beta Kappa member discusses love, courtship and marriage, as well as his travel plans.Written by:
- A college friend describes his health problems on his journey from Lyon to Amsterdam.Written by:
- A friend and fellow Phi Beta Kappa member discusses his relationship with a married woman and news about acquaintances in common.Written by:
- A college friend writes about mutual acquaintances he and William Short have in France and Virginia, and he encourages Short to embark on romantic…Written by:
- A friend from college informs William Short of his arrival in Paris and his plans while in Europe.Written by: