Tench Francis (1730–1800) was an American merchant, lawyer and agent for the family of

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy an ...

and the first cashier of the

Bank of North America The Bank of North America was the first chartered bank in the United States, and served as the country's first ''de facto'' central bank. Chartered by the Congress of the Confederation on May 26, 1781, and opened in Philadelphia on January 7, 17 ...

. He was born the son of Elizabeth Turbitt and Tench Francis Sr., a prominent Philadelphia lawyer and jurist, at Fausley,

Talbot County, Maryland Talbot County is located in the heart of the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,526. Its county seat is Easton. The county was named for Lady Grace Talbot, the wife of Sir Ro ...

, in 1730. For many years he acted as agent for the

family in connection with their proprietary interests in provincial

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

. He became the first cashier of the

, which office he held until his death. He is said to have contributed £5,000 for the support of the Revolutionary army. He later headed the commission that laid out the city of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. His appointment as Purveyor of Public Supplies on February 23, 1795, unified Navy pursers under a single person, and it is from this event that the

Navy Supply Corps The Navy Supply Corps is the United States Navy staff corps concerned with supply, logistics, combat support, readiness, contracting, and fiscal matters. Duties Commissioned officers in the Supply Corps practice a variety of disciplines, includ ...

dates its creation. Charles Willson Peale, Mrs

He married Ann Willing Francis, daughter of Philadelphia mayor Charles Willing and Ann Shippen. Francis died in Philadelphia, 1 May 1800; he is buried in

Christ Church Burial Ground Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia is an important early-American cemetery. It is the final resting place of Benjamin Franklin and his wife, Deborah. Four other signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here, Benjamin Rush, ...

External links

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Historical marker at his birthplaceBirthday of the Navy Supply CorpsResidence of Mr. Tench Francis in 1770 by D.J. Kennedy, Historical Society of Pennsylvania
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Tench Jr. 1730 births 1800 deaths Lawyers from Philadelphia People of colonial Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Revolution Colonial American merchants Colonial American smugglers People from Talbot County, Maryland Burials at Christ Church, Philadelphia United States Purveyor of Public Supplies