February 17, 2020 (Monday)
Today is Presidents Day. How we got the third Monday in February to be designated as Presidents Day begins with the birthday of George Washington on February 22. We got the idea that we could have several three-day weekends each year if we just juggled a few existing holidays so that we could celebrate them on a Monday. Many people liked the idea of celebrating Washington’s birthday on a Monday, others chimed in that Lincoln’s birthday (February 12) should be part of the celebration. Finally, after many debates, some legislation, and an Executive Order, we have Presidents Day the third Monday of February every year. The original Presidents Day was to honor Washington, then Lincoln too, but it is supposedly promoted as a day which honors all the presidents. Yet many still celebrate Presidents Day as the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln. And many of us still celebrate on February 12 and 22.
About two years ago, I developed a desire to name all the presidents, vice presidents, relevant dates and reasons for leaving office. I set out to memorize them all. Last September 17, I began amending my regular blog every Tuesday with an additional blog about the presidents, in the order of their service. I chose Tuesday because our general election is on a Tuesday in November. Our presidents were elected on a Tuesday, so I publish each blog about the presidents on a Tuesday.
The Oval Office (1981)
The presidency can be considered a hazardous job; you probably know that four presidents have been assassinated, but did you also know that there have been 30 attempts on the lives of the others?
We have had 45 presidents to date, and 8 of them have died in office. (Seven vice presidents also have died in office). There have been no deaths of presidents while in office for the past 57 years.
Three presidents have been impeached by House of Representatives but acquitted by the Senate. One resigned upon threat of impeachment.
Why should we be interested in the presidents of our country? Think about it. In the 244 years of our nation’s existence, only 45 of us have been elected to this office. The percentage of citizens who have become president is too small to calculate. Much of the history of the country we love so much has developed around these 45 people over nearly 250 years. We need to know who they were and are. One of them reminded us that our government is “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” It’s our country–yours and mine.
ROW 1 – 1789-1841 /// George Washington (1789), John Adams (1797), Thomas Jefferson (1801), James Madison (1809), James Monroe (1817), John Quincy Adams (1825), Andrew Jackson (1829), Martin Van Buren (1837), William Henry Harrison (1841).
ROW 2 – 1841-1877 /// John Tyler (1841), James K. Polk (1845), Zachary Taylor (1849), Millard Fillmore (1850), Franklin Pierce (1853), James Buchanan (1857), Abraham Lincoln (1861), Andrew Johnson (1865), Ulysses S. Grant (1869).
ROW 3 – 1877-1909 /// Rutherford B. Hayes (1877), James A. Garfield (1881), Chester Arthur (1881), Grover Cleveland (1885), Benjamin Harrison (1889), Grover Cleveland (1893), William McKinley (1897), Theodore Roosevelt (1901), William Howard Taft (1909).
ROW 4 – 1913-1969 /// Woodrow Wilson (1913), Warren G. Harding (1921), Calvin Coolidge (1923), Herbert Hoover (1929), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933), Harry S. Truman (1945), Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953), John F. Kennedy (1961), Lyndon B. Johnson (1963).
ROW 5 – 1969-PRESENT /// Richard Nixon (1969), Gerald Ford (1974), Jimmy Carter (1977), Ronald Reagan (1981), George H. W. Bush (1989), Bill Clinton (1993), George W. Bush (2001), Barrack Obama (2009), Donald J. Trump (2017).
If I have trouble getting to sleep at night, I count presidents instead of sheep. I go over the list, add the dates, etc. all in my mind. I rarely make it past Andrew Jackson before sleep befalls me. I also try naming all the books of the Bible, but, like so many of you, I know that list so well it doesn’t take long enough to bring sleep. But it’s a good idea anyway.
Are we having fun yet?