Smilie Chatter

 Correcting the Record

Robert Morris Financier of the American Revolution

page 409

     Charles Rappleye in his biography of Robert Morris devotes a chapter to the debate concerning the charter of the Bank of North America.  John Smilie was a vehement opponent of the bank.  The debate was acurately portrayed.  But Rappleye did not thoroughly examine the results of the October 1786 elections when he made the statement on page 409, "while Whitehill returned, John Smilie lost his seat".

     John Smilie did not return to the Assembly in November 1783, but not because he lost his seat; he was not a candidate for the Assembly.  John was a candidate for the Supreme Executive Council and was elected.

Pennsylvania, Published Archives Series, 1664–1902 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Pennsylvania Archives. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, retrieved 20 April 2015, John Smilie elected Councilor, Fayette, 2nd Tue October1786, Series 6, Vol 11, p 194

     Pennsylvania did not have a Governor under its Constitution of 1776, but a plural Executive branch, with all of Pennsylvania's counties plus the city of Philadelphia each electing one Councilor to the Supreme Executive Council.

     Benjamin Franklin, Philadelphia's Councilor, was the President of the Supreme Executive Council during John Smilie's three year term.

April 18, 1787, Pay Order for John Smilie's service on Pennsylvania's Supreme Executive Council from November 2, 1786, through April 18, 1787, issued by Benjamin Franklin

This Pay Order originally appeared in the August 1989 issue of Smilie Chatter and was used with permission of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania