The five revolutionary conventions that provided Virginians with an alternative government between August 1, 1774 and July 5, 1776, grew out of an extralegal meeting of twenty-five members of the House of Burgesses at the Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg on May 30, 1774.
On August 21, 1775, the third revolutionary convention passed an ordinance establishing the office of state agent and commissary of stores to supervise the procurement, storage, and distribution of supplies needed by the army. William Aylett was appointed to the office. After he resigned in 1777 the office was divided, with Thomas Smith being appointed state agent and William Armistead commissary of stores. In 1776 assistant agents were appointed in Virginia, Europe and the West Indies to oversee the shipping of supplies, and in 1778 a public store was established at Philadelphia to serve the Continental troops from Virginia. The office of state agent was abolished and was replaced by the Board of Trade by an act of the General Assembly in May 1779.
From the description of Agency history. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 145407661
