On February 19, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation encouraging Americans to gather on February 22nd and commemorate President George Washington’s birthday by reading his 1796 Farewell Address. Proclamation 17 reads as follows:
It is recommended to the people of the United States that they assemble in their customary places of meeting for public solemnities on the 22d day of February instant and celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the Father of his Country by causing to be read to them his immortal Farewell Address.
Given under my hand and the seal of the United States at Washington, the 19th day of February, A.D. 1862, and of the Independence of the United States of America the eighty-sixth (italics added).
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Thus began what would eventually become an annual national observation of President George Washington’s birthday and what would traditionally include President Lincoln’s birthday. However, honoring Washington on his birthday did not begin with Lincoln’s Proclamation above. The story of Presidents Day actually begins in 1800. Following the death of George Washington in December 1799, his February 22 birthday became an annual day of remembrance. At this time, Washington was considered the most important figure in American history. Events like the 1832 centennial of his birth and the start of construction of the Washington Monument in 1848 were cause for national celebration.
It wasn’t until 1879 that a federal holiday for February 22nd was officially passed into law. The law was extended to cover all Federal employees, not just those in Washington D.C., in 1885.
The shift from Washington’s Birthday to Presidents Day began in the late 1960s when Congress proposed a measure known as the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. Its purpose was to move the celebration of several federal holidays from specific dates to a series of predetermined Mondays. One of this law’s provisions was to combine the celebration of Washington’s birthday with that of Abraham Lincoln, which fell on February 12. Lincoln’s birthday had long been a state holiday in several states, including Lincoln’s home state of Illinois. Eventually, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed in 1968 and officially took effect in 1971 following an executive order from President Richard M. Nixon. However, it is worth noting that this holiday is still officially designated as “Washington’s Birthday” in section 6103(a) of Title 5 of the United States Code, which is the law that specifies holidays for Federal employees.
So, although this Monday is called Presidents Day, which originally honored two great presidents born in February, it was also intended to give a nod to the other presidents as well. However, I want to take this opportunity to give the other presidents a bit more than just a nod. They all chose to tackle a tough job and serve their country, and I would therefore like to share a few facts about them, facts that you may not know… such as 31 of the 45 presidents had military experience.
1. George Washington (1789–1797): The first U.S. president and Revolutionary War hero was an enthusiastic dog breeder, especially hunting hounds, to which he gave names like “Sweet Lips” and “Drunkard.” Served in the military.
2. John Adams (1797–1801): Adams and his wife, Abigail, exchanged more than 1,100 letters over the course of their lengthy relationship and marriage (54 years). Father of John Quincy Adams, 6th president.
3. Thomas Jefferson (1801–1899): Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, died on July4, 1826 within hours of John Adams. Served in the military.
4. James Madison (1809–1817): Madison, the Father of the Constitution, was the shortest president at 5’4” and weighed barely over 100 pounds. Served in the military.
5. James Monroe (1817–1825): Other than Washington, Monroe was the only president to ever run essentially unopposed, coasting to re-election in the 1820 race. Served in the military.
6. John Quincy Adams (1825–1829): Years after leaving the White House, Quincy Adams argued a famous Supreme Court case that freed the captive Africans who had rebelled aboard the Amistad slave ship.
7. Andrew Jackson (1829–1837): Jackson once killed a man in a duel. Survived an assassination attempt. Served in the military.
8. Martin Van Buren (1837–1841): Van Buren was the first president to be born an American. All previous presidents were originally British subjects, having been born prior to 1776.
9. William Henry Harrison (1841): Served only 31 days in office, the shortest period of any president. First president to die in office and to be photographed while in office. Grandfather of President Benjamin Harrison. Served in the military.
10. John Tyler (1841–1845): Tyler fathered 15 children, the most of any president. First president to get married while serving as president. Served in the military.
11. James Polk (1845–1849): One of the most, if not the most underrated presidents. He promised to run for and serve one term and kept his word. During his term, America achieved its greatest territorial growth. President with shortest retirement (3 months). Served in the military.
12. Zachary Taylor (1849–1850): “Old Rough and Ready” never voted in an election prior to being on the ballot himself. Served in the military.
13. Millard Fillmore (1850–1853): The last Whig president; the party imploded soon after he left office. Served in the military (after his presidency).
14. Franklin Pierce (1853–1857): The only president from New Hampshire. He was the only president to keep his entire cabinet in place for the full four-year term. The first president to “promise” his oath instead of “swearing” it. He was the first president to memorize his inaugural speech. Served in the military.
15. James Buchanan (1857–1861): In 1853, while serving as minister to Great Britain, he helped draft the 1854 Ostend Manifesto, which advocated for an American invasion of Cuba. Served in the military. Never married.
16. Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865): “Honest Abe,” the tallest president at 6’4”, may have had Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes people to be very tall, thin, and long-limbed. Served in the military.
17. Andrew Johnson (1865–1869): One of the few presidents without a pet, but apparently cared for a family of White House mice, which he called “the little fellows.” Served in the military.
18. Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877): Civil War General Grant was invited to join Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre on the fateful evening of April 14, 1865, but was forced to decline after he and his wife made plans to visit their children in New Jersey. Served in the military.
19. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881): Hayes was the first president to have a telephone in the White House. Served in the military.
20. James A. Garfield (1881): Garfield (who was the first known left-handed president) was elected to the U.S. Senate, but he never served as Ohio senator because he then won the Republican nomination for president. Served in the military.
21. Chester Author (1881–1855): Became president upon Garfield’s assassination. He was known as “Elegant Arthur,” the “Gentleman Boss,” and the “Dude of all the White House residents” because of his love of fashion. Served in the military.
22. and 24. Grover Cleveland (1885–1889, 1893–1897): Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and the only president to have a child born while living in the White House.
23. Benjamin Harrison (1889–1893): Harrison was the first president to hire a female White House staffer. Grandson of President William Harrison. Served in the military.
25. William McKinley (1897–1901): McKinley’s likeness appears on the $500 bill, which was discontinued in 1969. Served in the military.
26. Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909): Roosevelt was the youngest president, taking office at age 42. Gave the White House its name in 1901. Served in the military.
27. William Howard Taft (1909–1913): Famous for his corpulence. Taft was the first president to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a major league baseball game (1910) and to have a car while in office.
28. Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921): In a 1914 proclamation, Wilson officially established the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
29. Warren G. Harding (1921–1923): First president to make a radio address in 1922.
30. Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929): A quiet man, Coolidge purportedly replied, “You lose,” to a visitor who bet she could get at least three words out of him.
31. Herbert Hoover (1929–1933): An Iowa native who spent part of his boyhood in Oregon. Hoover was the first president to hail from west of the Mississippi River.
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945): The longest-serving commander-in-chief. His fifth cousin was Theodore Roosevelt. First president to appear on television.
33. Harry S. Truman (1945–1953): The “S” in Harry S. Truman was just an initial; it didn’t stand for any name. (The “S” in Ulysses S. Grant didn’t stand for anything either.) Led America in the final months of WW II. Served in the military.
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961): World War II hero “Ike” was the first president to ride in a helicopter. Served in the military.
35. John F. Kennedy (1961–1963): After being injured and honorably discharged in World War II, Kennedy was briefly employed as a journalist during the waning weeks of the war. Served in the military.
36. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969): Johnson’s first career was as a teacher. He worked at a school near the U.S.-Mexico border for four years before launching a career in politics. Served in the military.
37. Richard M. Nixon (1969–1974): Nixon became such a skillful poker player while stationed in the Solomon Islands during World War II that his winnings helped launch his political career upon his return to the United States. Served in the military.
38. Gerald Ford (1974–1977): A star football player at the University of Michigan, Ford turned down offers from both the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.
39. Jimmy Carter (1977–1981): Upon his father’s death in 1953, Carter gave up his successful military career to move back to Georgia and work on their family’s peanut farm. President with the longest retirement (43 years to date) Served in the military.
40. Ronald Reagan (1981–1989): Reagan worked as a lifeguard and sportscaster before becoming an actor and, later, a politician. Served in the military.
41. George Bush (1989–1993): While a student at Yale University, Bush was captain of the baseball team and a member of Skull and Bones, an elite secret student society. Served in the military.
42. Bill Clinton (1993–2001): Clinton played the saxophone and famously performed on the Arsenio Hall Show when he was a candidate for president. First president to send an email (sent to astronaut John Glenn , who was in space at the time).
43. George W. Bush (2001–2009): Post-presidency, Bush took up oil painting, exhibiting his work at the Museum of the Southwest in Texas. Served in the military.
44. Barack Obama (2009–2017): Prior to becoming the first African American president, Obama won two Grammy Awards for “Best Spoken Word Album.” His wife, Michelle, has likewise won a Grammy.
45. Donald J. Trump (2017-2021): Before becoming president, Trump was a real estate developer, entrepreneur and host of the NBC reality show, “The Apprentice.”
46. Joe Biden (2021–present): Biden overcame a debilitating childhood stutter after enduring bullying over the condition in grade school.
I hope as we observe Presidents Day this Monday, we will at least pause for a moment and reflect on these men who took on what many consider the biggest job in the world. Those presidents of yesterday deserved prayers, and every president still does. (1 Timothy 2:1–2).
Click here to read George Washington’s Farewell Address.
By Jeff Olson
Jeff Olson, Author
Click here to read, “YOURS, MINE OR OURS…? CHOOSING ‘“’US'”
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