Thomas Foxcroft (224)

Thomas Foxcroft (?–29 June 1785) was postmaster of Philadelphia and a member of the American Philosophical Society via his 1768 election to the American Society. Little is known about his early life. He was born in England and immigrated to Philadelphia in 1764 when his brother, APS member John Foxcroft, offered him the position of postmaster. John was joint deputy postmaster general for the Northern District of North America with Benjamin Franklin, with whom Thomas became friendly. Thomas sent Franklin barrels of Pennsylvania flour in London and helped manage Mrs. Franklin’s finances during her husband’s absence abroad. During his tenure as postmaster of Philadelphia, Thomas hired riders, fielded queries and complaints, and oversaw the system’s finances. In 1770 he was appointed comptroller for the Northern District. He was a subscriber to the Library Company of Philadelphia, a founder of the Society of Sons of St. George, and a formidable chess player. He also subscribed to John Hawkesworth’s A New Voyage round the World … performed by Captain James Cook (1774) and donated to the Pennsylvania Hospital, the College of Philadelphia, and the Silk Society. He co-owned lands in Lancaster and Bedford counties with APS member Joseph Galloway. Foxcroft remained loyal to the crown during the American Revolution. After losing his position as postmaster, he sought refuge in New York and then in England, where he died suddenly in 1785. (PI)