George Washington

I think that the Presidents that will be the most difficult for me to write about will be the well known ones.  Everybody knows a lot about Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt (both) so it may be difficult to provide any new information, but I’ll try to give you my take on them.

George Washington was the obvious choice for the first President.  He was from Virginia, which at that time was the largest and most influential state (4 of the first 6 Presidents were from Virginia).  He also had the ability to unite the country in a way that none of the other notable politicians of the time could.

In terms of his lasting Presidential legacy, he knew that everything he did while he was in office was setting a precedent.  The obvious precedent was leaving after 2 terms.  It surprised a lot of people not only in this country but in Europe as well that he would voluntarily give up power.  They had a similar reaction when he handed over control of the military to civilian control after the American Revolution.  Soon after FDR’s death Congress passed the 22nd Amendment which limits the President to 2 terms (they should do the same for Congress, but I digress).

There are 3 things with respect to the negotiating of treaties that deserve attention.  First, Washington spent a lot of time debating with Congress over a treaty with the Creek nation.  For future treaties he did not consult with Congress, instead he recognized that while Congress had the power to ratify treaties only the President had the power to negotiate treaties.  It was then up to Congress to accept or reject the treaty.  (unfortunately it was probably this thinking that got Wilson into trouble with the League of Nations proposal)

Second, Washington assigned aides to negotiate treaties.  This had the added benefit of not having to negotiate with Congress over appointments, since aides did not have to be approved by Congress.

Third, and very popular with modern Presidents, was the establishment of Executive Privilege.  During the debate over funding for the terms of Jay’s Treaty, the agreement with England that resolved issues left over from the Treay of Paris that ended the American Revolution, Congress demanded that he turn over all documents related to the negotiation of the treaty.  Washington basically stated that there was nothing in the Constitution that required him to do so.  He felt that it would weaken the Presidency.

Now here is some trivia for you to use at parties!

• He is the only President that never lived in the White House.
• Although the Capital wasn’t moved to it’s current location until after he was out of office he did select and survey the precise location.
• He did not have any children of his own, but he did have 2 step children
• He is the only President to receive 100% of the vote (he did this twice).
• It should be noted that in 1788 only 10 of the 13 states sent electors.  Rhode Island and North Carolina didn’t ratify the Constitution in time and New York couldn’t agree who should represent the state.
• Even though he was elected to 2 4-year terms he did not serve a full 8-years.  This was because the first election took place in early 1789 and he wasn’t sworn in until April 1789.
• It took so long because the required number of states didn’t ratify the Constitution until July 1788 so there was not enough time to hold the election in 1788.
• Until 1933 Inauguration Day was in March, it is now in January
• At the time of his birth the British were using the Julian calendar and so his birthdate is listed as February 11th, 1731.  However, the Calendar Act of 1750 moved the British to the Gregorian calendar so his birthday is now February 22nd.  More information on the Calendar Act
• Many historians claim that John Hanson of Maryland was actually the first President.  Hanson (no he didn’t come up with the phrase Mmm Bop) was the first President of the United States Assembled under the Articles of Confederation.  However, this role was more like the current Speaker of the House in terms of powers and responsibilities.  So he has been largely forgotten just like George Lazenby.

 

The information on the Treaty items I pulled from “The Presidents Fact Book” which was written by Roger Matuz

Presidents

As I work my way through reading a book about each of the 43 men who have reached the pinnacle of political power by becoming President of the United States I thought it would be a good idea to write down my impressions of each of these men. They come from a variety of backgrounds, although most have been lawyers, some have been farmers and soldiers, one was a newspaper editor, one was an Engineer and one was a college professor. While most have gone to college nine of these men never attended college (only one in the 20th century did not attend college). Seven of them died in office, 4 of these were assassinated. The Presidents that died in office (except one) were all elected in a year ending in "0"; 1840, 1860, 1880, 1900, 1920, 1940 and 1960. This led to speculation about a curse put on the office by "the Prophet". Sixteen of them were elected to multiple terms (one was elected to non consecutive terms).

So, this blog will be my meager attempt to summarize the lives of each of these men, and hopefully make it interesting.