Patriotic Holidays - Presidents Day (Feb 11, 2021)

George Washington statue in London

Washington's Birthday - National Holiday versus Presidents' Day - State Holiday.

Contrary to popular sales marketing jargon (including our own Flag Subscription program, there is no such federal holiday as Presidents Day. The Congress of the United States debated and signed into law the Uniform Monday Holiday Act on June 28, 1968. When the law took effect on January 1, 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act transformed several traditional holidays celebrated throughout the year to conform to all Monday dates. This included such holidays as Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Veteran’s Day, as well as the remembrance of Washington’s birthday.

An early draft of the Congressional calendar could have made Washington’s Birthday officially into “Presidents’ Day” to honor both Lincoln and Washington, however it did not make it through the preliminary committee and the original name was maintained as “Washington’s Birthday.” Thus, the official legislation did not establish a “Presidents’ Day” to combine Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthday parties.

If one were to "google" the State of Texas Holiday Calendar for 2021 as published by the Texas Comptrollers Office, they would find that the State of Texas recognizes Monday, February 15, 2021 as "Presidents' Day. Wikipedia advises that Texas is one of 8 states to rename the holiday to Presidents' Day recognizing all those who have served as President thus avoiding the political implications of selecting just certain presidents.

Sometimes the sales marketing comes into play when determining how we as Americans would honor a particular president or all of the presidents with a holiday. During the early 1970s, the nation’s economy began to tank. Private retailers which had learned that Congress originally intended to change the name of Washington’s Birthday to Presidents’ Day decided to capitalize on the more generic name primarily to stimulate business. Apparently, they had done their marketing homework, and for some odd reason, the retailers discovered that generic “Presidents” sold more products than just the one president who used to be “first in the hearts of his countrymen,” or so it was rationalized at the time.

Washington's Birthday 2021

Since the federal government has dedicated Feb 15, 2021 as a National Holiday, here are some interesting facts about our first president, George Washington.

Revolutionary War comrade, Congressman Henry Lee had this to say about George Washington when he wrote the eulogy for the first president's funeral.

"First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in humble and enduring scenes of private life. Pious, just, humane, temperate, and sincere; uniform, dignified, and commanding; his example was as edifying to all around him as were the effects of that example lasting. ... Correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence and virtue always felt his fostering hand. The purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues. ... Such was the man for whom our nation mourns."

As our first president, Washington set a number of precedents for the presidency that ultimately became expected practice for the presidents that followed. In no particular order here are some of those precedents:

He shaped the inaugural process. When he was sworn in he placed his right hand upon the bible. This practice is not required by the constitution but was ultimately adopted by most of the succeeding presidents.
In 1790, Washington gave his 1st inaugural address to a joint session of congress. The practice was subsequently codified in article 2, section 3 of the constitution and has become known as the State of the Union Address.
Formation of a cabinet was not explicitly stated in the constitution. But, Washington recognized the importance of receiving council and established the practice of appointing secretaries of the executive departments using the constitutional authorization under Section II article 2 "to appoint all other officers of the United States" with the advice and consent of the senate.
Although an extremely popular president, Washington choose to limit himself to 2 terms of office. Subsequent presidents, with exception of Franklin Roosevelt followed that precedent. In 1951, the ratification of the 22nd amendment officially limited the office of president to two terms maximum. As our 1st president to leave office, Washington led the country to a smooth transition of administrative power when he stepped down from the presidency allowing his successor, John Adams to take over the presidency in 1797.

Some interesting facts about George Washington.

The only president unanimously elected by the electoral college. Meaning all of the state representatives voted for him
He did not have children of his own
He did not have a middle name
He had no formal education - he was self educated
He learned to be a surveyor at age 16
At 6'-2" tall he was our 2nd tallest president, bested by Abraham Lincoln at 6'-4"
Contrary to popular myth, George Washington did not throw a silver dollar across the Potomac River. The river is over one mile wide at Mount Vernon where legend has it the event took place. A youth of considerable strength, even Washington did not have the arm to sling a silver dollar that far even if silver dollars were in existence at the time (doubtful).
Yes Washington did have false teeth and yes they were made of wood
There is no evidence that the 11 year old George Washington ever chopped down a cherry tree with a brand new ax. One of his early biographers, Mason Weems, also a parson, stressed the truthfulness and honesty of Washington using this "made up" story. Ironic isn't it?

Prepared by Lewisville Morning Rotary member John Pokorny with the aid of internet sources such as Digital news, History Channel and others. We hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. Comments are always welcome.