Thomas Mifflin

His Excellency Thomas Mifflin
1st Governor of Pennsylvania
In office December 21, 1790 – December 17, 1799
Preceded by	Himself as President of Pennsylvania
Succeeded by	Thomas McKean
7th President of Pennsylvania
In office November 5, 1788 – December 21, 1790
Vice President	George Ross
Preceded by	Benjamin Franklin
Succeeded by	Himself as Governor of Pennsylvania
Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office 1785–1787
Preceded by	John Bayard
Succeeded by	Richard Peters
3rd President of the Confederation Congress
In office November 3, 1783 – June 3, 1784
Preceded by	Elias Boudinot
Succeeded by	Richard Henry Lee
Continental Congressman
In office 1782–1784
In office 1774–1775
Personal details
Born	(1744-01-10)January 10, 1744 Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania, British America
Died	January 20, 1800(1800-01-20) (aged 56) Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Federalist
Spouse(s)	Sarah Morris ​ ​ (m. 1767; died 1790)​
Profession	Merchant, soldier, politician
Signature

Thomas Mifflin (January 10, 1744 – January 20, 1800) was an American merchant, soldier, and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Military service

Early in the American Revolutionary War, Thomas Mifflin left the Continental Congress to serve in the Continental Army. He was made a major and later became an aide-de-camp of George Washington.

On August 14, 1775, Washington appointed him to become the army's first quartermaster general, as was agreed by Congress. Even though he preferred to be on the front line, people said he was good at his job. Because he failed at properly supplying Washington and the troops at Valley Forge, questions were raised. People said he had warehoused and sold supplies, instead of bringing them to Washington and his troops. After Washington talked with him, Mifflin asked to be relieved as quartermaster general but was persuaded to resume those duties because Congress did not find a replacement.

Mifflin's leadership at the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton led to his promotion to major general. In Congress, there was debate regarding whether a national army was more efficient or the individual states should maintain their own forces. As a result of the debate, Congress created the Board of War, and Mifflin served on it from 1777 to 1778. He then rejoined the army but took little active role because of criticism of his service as quartermaster general. He was accused of embezzlement and welcomed an inquiry, but none ever took place. He resigned, but Congress continued to ask his advice even after it had accepted his resignation.

Personal life

Although Mifflin's family had been Quakers for four generations, he was expelled for joining the Continental Army since his involvement with the military contradicted the faith's pacifist doctrines. Mifflin became a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1768 and served for two years as its secretary. He served from 1773 to 1791 as a trustee of the College and Academy of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania), including two years as its treasurer (1773–1775).

References

Other websites

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thomas Mifflin.

• Brief biography and portrait at the University of Pennsylvania
• Biography and portrait at Quartermasters-General

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