Last updated: February 20, 2025
Person
Thomas Mifflin
Independence NHP Museum Collection (INDE 14105)
Quick Facts
Significance:
Quartermaster in American Revolution, Signer of the US Constitution
Place of Birth:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date of Birth:
January 10, 1744
Place of Death:
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Date of Death:
January 20, 1800
Place of Burial:
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Cemetery Name:
German Lutheran Church
Thomas Mifflin’s skill in politics and administration and his zeal for the cause of the American Revolution drove his military service as the Quartermaster General of the Continental Army and his public service in the early republic.
Mifflin was born in 1744 to a family of wealthy Quaker merchants in Philadelphia. Mifflin studied at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1760. From there, he went on to work in trading posts for several years as a merchant, visiting several of the colonies and even Europe. He married Sarah Morris in 1765. Mifflin’s background combined with his talents in public speaking prepared him for his next career in politics.
Mifflin won a seat in the Pennsylvania legislature in 1772 and would eventually be sent as a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774. There, he met George Washington. When the Revolutionary War began, Mifflin volunteered as a major in a militia group in Pennsylvania. In June 1775 Mifflin resigned from his political posts and left with Washington to set up military headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Known for his trustworthiness, experience in trade, and ability to get along with others, Mifflin was eventually given the role of quartermaster general on August 14, 1775.
As quartermaster general, Thomas Mifflin had many responsibilities. He had to obtain and inspect supplies needed for military camps, including cloth and tents. Mifflin also helped plan the layout of military camps and instructed the soldiers to keep the living spaces clean and organized. Using his connections in the mercantile business, Mifflin supplied the new army well. In Cambridge, Mifflin established a quartermaster general’s department of twenty-eight people – clerks and managers overseeing lumber, stables, barracks, blacksmiths, and carpenters – managed out of his headquarters in the William Brattle house.
Mifflin was an enthusiastic supporter of the independence movement. Early into his work with Washington, Mifflin wrote in a letter to his cousin, “I never had better Health or Spirits…. It is a righteous Cause. My whole Soul is ardently engaged in it”. He scouted during the siege of Boston for the Continental Army and was praised as “a hero” by General Charles Lee for his actions in repelling a British raid at Lechmere's Point. As the war carried on, officers such as Joseph Reed raised complaints to General Washington that Mifflin was making deals that benefited himself or his friends. This was true; in one instance Mifflin wrote a letter to his friends describing what supplies the army needed for uniforms, stating he could help sell them, but his name must not be on the invoice. However, this was also very common for people in his position and Washington still regarded him as a good man for the role. By also aiding in the military’s decision making and helping resolve conflicts, such as the relative ranks between generals, Mifflin played several valuable roles in the Revolution.
Following the war, Mifflin resumed his career in politics and obtained many key positions at the state and national level. He served in Congress from 1782 to 1784 and served as a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Mifflin served as the president of the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council from 1788 to 1790 before becoming the first governor of Pennsylvania in 1790, a position he held for nine years.
Sources
Bell, John. “George Washington’s Headquarters and Home.” Cambridge, MA: Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters, Department of the Interior, National Park Service, February 29, 2012.
Kaminski, John P. “MIFFLIN, THOMAS (1744-1800).” The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of the American Enlightenment. Bloomsbury Academic. 2014.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. “Governor Thomas Mifflin.” Pennsylvania Governors. Last modified August 26, 2015. http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/governors/1790-1876/thomas-mifflin.html