George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 although there is an argument that his birthday is actually February 11. In 1752 when British Parliament switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian one, dates got a bit topsy turvey. I like to think of it as the Georgian Y2K.
Side note: At some point, I want to devote a blog entry on the entire switch-over. It first came to my attention a few years ago when researching April Fool's Day. Because that's what I do in my spare time. Research obscure holidays. Hold on while I go put on my nerd cap.
When he was 23, during what became the French Indian war, he somehow escaped injuring during a battle even though four bullets went through his coat and two horses were shot from under him. The moral to that story is, of course, wear large coats while engaging in musket warfare. (I'm not trying to make light of the subject of war, merely trying to wrap my head around the fact that if not for his large coat, we might never have had him as our first President. And what a shame that would have been!)
George married Martha when he was 29. She was a widow with two surviving children and utterly devoted to her family. During the Revolutionary War she "followed the drum", traveling with Washington.
Side note: After I'm finished with the Presidents, I think I'm going to take a spin with the First Ladies. They were a rather interesting group themselves.
Washington's military prowess is legendary. I'm not going to take the time to go battle by battle but, if you get bored, here's a link to more information.
After the War, he wanted nothing more than to retire to his farm at Mount Vernon. Instead he took the reins at the Constitutional Convention. When it was over, he found himself unanimously elected to the Presidency. He's was the first and last President to receive all electoral votes and became President in 1789.
An interesting tidbit. According to lore (which is another word for "old urban legend so let's take it's accuracy with a grain of salt") Washington was offered the position of King George. He turned it down, but if he had not, we might today be ruled by Paul Emery Washington.
He served two terms, turning down a third and setting up a tradition that later became law with the 22nd Amendment. Another fun fact: His second inaugural speech was only 133 words. 135 if you count his opening "Fellow Citizens". Politicians take note.
He's the only President to not live in Washington D.C. He split his time between the two temporary national capitals: Philadelphia and New York. Thankfully, he was a somewhat humble man and insisted on the use of "Mr. President" as a form of address. If he had not, we might be calling our President "Your Majesty" or "You Extreme Politicalness".
By the time his second term was over, he was tired of politics. His Farewell Address became the "guiding political philosophy" of the US. The reading of it is now an annual tradition in the Senate. It makes me a bit sad that I had only read bits and pieces of this document until today. If you have about twenty minutes, give it a read. Some highlights:
He makes it very obvious that he was a reluctant President, saying "I constantly hoped, that it would have been much earlier in my power, consistently with motives, which I was not at liberty to disregard, to return to that retirement, from which I had been reluctantly drawn."
He speaks for unity in government. In a particularly moving passage, he says, "You have in a common cause fought and triumphed together; the Independence and Liberty you possess are the work of joint counsels, and joint efforts, of common dangers, sufferings, and successes." He continues on counseling against the formation of political parties, stating that they will bring division to the nation and "kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection". Very apropos for today, yes?
He continues on to urge neutrality in Europe's affairs and concludes with a look at his Presidency and admits that he is too aware to his own shortcomings to believe he served without error. Overall, a moving speech that left me wondering at his insight into human and political nature.
He died December 14, 1799 - less than three years after retiring - of a throat infection at the age of 67.
A few fun facts for the road:
- He was the only Founding Father to free his slaves.
- He grew pot. Marijuana. Mary Jane. Sorry...my list of pseudonyms just ran out. (Of course, at the time it was used for hemp production rather than recreational reasons.)
- His dentures were not wood, but made with ivory, human and animal teeth and lead. He was in somewhat constant pain because of his teeth.
- He never chopped down that cherry tree nor threw a silver dollar over the Potomac.
- He had red hair.
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