Aug 21

Aug 21 Everyone's Assistant - William Palfrey Organizes The Revolution

William Palfrey held several important positions in the early days of the American Revolution.

Palfrey helped George Washington organize the Continental Army before becoming Paymaster.

He was eventually chosen to travel to act as the first Consul to France but he soon met an unfortunate end.

Merchants in Crisis

When the British Government began instituting taxes on the American Colonies, the first people to get upset were those who suffered most…merchants.

That is one reason John Hancock is notable as an early leader in the rebellion. As a merchant his businesses began earning less and less profit.

It would make sense, then, that his employees may also have been upset. Unsurprisingly, his most important clerk decided to do his patriotic duty.

This clerk was William Palfrey.

William Palfrey

In addition to working with Hancock, Palfrey was an active member of his Masonic Lodge which associated him with other agitators such as Paul Revere and Joseph Warren.

William journeyed to England as one of several men who attempted to talk some sense into Parliament. While this did not work, he did return with letters meant for Loyalists (which seem to have been stolen) that provided great value to push the Continental Congress towards taking up arms.

When war broke out, William was one of the men chosen to greet George Washington and the other newly appointed Generals when they arrived from Philadelphia.

Aide-de-Camp

Within a month, Palfrey was selected as an aide-de-camp for Major General Charles Lee. During this time, he assisted in the organization of the separate militias from the New England colonies into one Continental Army.

In March of 1776, William was promoted to aide-de-camp for General Washington himself. In this station he helped to plan and execute the final stages of the Siege and Evacuation of Boston.

Additionally, Palfrey was responsible for writing much of the Commander-in-Chief’s correspondence. Indeed, when Lee was put in charge of the Southern Department, he specifically requested that William be the one to send updates regarding the happenings back north.

Paymaster

Palfrey only sat on Washington’s staff for two months, as he was selected to hold the office of Paymaster in the Continental Army. In for years at this position, he was to oversee the wages of the entire American Force.

After four years as Paymaster, William was unanimously elected by the Continental Congress as America’s first Consul to France. Yes, there were Ambassadors who represented the United States, but there was not yet a Consul who represented American citizens living in France (this is an extremely abbreviated definition of these two positions).

A month after his selection, in December of 1780, William Palfrey set sail for Europe.

Here, his story ends abruptly.

The ship was lost at sea, and William Palfrey was never heard from again.

Here are some Founders who DID make it overseas to serve as diplomats:

William Short - Jefferson’s First Disciple

Francis Dana and the League of Armed Neutrality

Ralph Izard Journeys to Tuscany

While Palfrey does not have a modern biography, there is a great book for understanding life in pre-Revolutionary Boston that I can recommend.

‘Founding Martyr’ is a biography of Joseph Warren, but it also does a wonderful job of giving the reader perspective on what was going on in Palfrey’s city in the early days of the American Founding.

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).