LETTER SIGNED BY ALEXANDER GILLON, COMMODORE OF SOUTH CAROLINA NAVY

Autograph document signed by Alexander Gillon. Charleston, South Carolina, 30 April 1777. 1 page, 8vo. 

An incredible letter from Alexander Gillon signifying a critical turning point in his career. In this letter, Gillon writes that he "has this day retired from Business," likely retiring to prepare for his military service in the Navy. 

Gillon (1741-94) was born in the Dutch Republic and studied in London before becoming a sea captain and sailing the brigantine Surprize to Charleston. He settled in Charleston in 1766, where he became well-known as a merchant, opening Alexander Gillon & Co. in 1773. Around this same time, Gillon got into politics, founding the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, as well as becoming a delegate to the Second Provincial Congress of South Carolina in 1775 and 1776 and a member of the first General Assembly in 1776. It was in these latter roles he was able to supply munitions to the Continental Congress. 

By 1778, the state of South Carolina appointed him commodore of the state's Navy, where he sailed to France to procure ships for the Revolutionary War. Gillon chartered the newly named frigate South Carolina from the Duke of Luxembourg. The largest warship under American command during the war, she helped capture several British ships and participated in the third capture of New Providence until her capture in mid-1782. 

After the Revolutionary War, Gillon continued his political career, first as a delegate to the state convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution in 1788. He then served as the 13th lieutenant governor of South Carolina from 1789-1791, followed by a stint as a U.S. representative from 1793-1794. 

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