Charles Pettit (373)

Charles Pettit (1736–03 September 1806) was a merchant, a public official, and a member of the American Philosophical Society, elected in 1779. He was born near Amwell, NJ, and he found himself connected to a wealthy and influential family, the Reeds, through his marriage to Sarah Reed in 1758. He originally planned to make a career as a lawyer and was admitted to the bar in 1770, but, with the help of his wife’s half-brother, APS Member Joseph Reed, instead began a long career in politics and public service. Beginning in 1767, Pettit held some local offices in New Jersey, and in 1771, he became an aide to New Jersey Governor William Franklin. Pettit distanced himself from Franklin, a Loyalist, at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, and, declaring his allegiance to the patriot cause, continued to serve under the new governor, William Livingston. He reluctantly served in the Continental Army from 1778 to 1781 as an assistant quartermaster general, responsible for keeping detailed records of military spending and cash flow. This work both utilized and strengthened his keen financial sensibilities, which served him well after the war when he became a notable and successful import merchant and created Pennsylvania’s funding system. Between 1785 and 1787, he served on several committees of the Continental Congress, including the Committee on Domestic Debt, the Committee on the System of Federal Revenue, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Throughout the latter part of his long career, Pettit strove for national political office; in the late 1780s, he ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress and pursued the post of Treasury Secretary, but was unsuccessful in both efforts. However, in 1802, he was appointed to chair a national committee during Thomas Jefferson’s administration. He died in Philadelphia in 1806. (ANB)