Surveyor General of the Northwest Territory

[2] In 1801, the position was offered to Andrew Ellicott by Thomas Jefferson, but he refused, because he was upset at slow pay for work he had done for the federal government.

[2] The Surveyor General of Illinois office was created on April 29, 1816, reducing effective area to Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.

[8] Judge William Johnston held the office 1841–1845 as thanks for his efforts in supporting the Whig ticket in 1840.

Pressures on him are illustrated in a letter Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin wrote to Mansfield: "The new act (March 13, 1805) is intended to palliate errors made in surveys north of the Ohio.

Congress desires that corners and boundaries be definitely fixed, and the precise content of each is not equally important.

In 1822, the first surveying district was created, namely the state of Ohio, with an officer called Surveyor General in charge.