June 3, 2013 (Monday)
“May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof” — John Adams
On this date, June 3, in 1800, John Adams, the second president of the U.S.A., moved from the President’s House in Philadelphia to the city of Washington, D.C., to a temporary residence, awaiting the complete construction of the White House in November of that year. [George Washington had lived in rented houses in New York and Philadelphia during his first and second terms, respectively. His permanent home was in Mount Vernon, Virginia (16 miles south of Washington, D.C.)].
From 1774 to 1800, Congress had met in several locations: Philadephia, Baltimore, Philadelphia, then to Lancaster, PA. After that the seat of government moved to York, PA, and back to Philadelphia. Then moves were made to Princeton, NJ, Annapolis, Trenton, and New York City, where George Washington was inaugurated as the first President. John Adams served as the Vice-President before being elected as President in 1797.Doubtless he expected to have a second term, but that was denied him by the election of Thomas Jefferson. Adams’ stay in the White House was brief: November, 1800 to March, 1801.
In 1814, during the War of 1812, the White House was burned to the ground by British troops. It was rebuilt quickly, and has since been enlarged and remodeled several times. Today, news reports use the words, “The White House,” as synonymous with “The Current Presidential Administration.”
Devotional Thought: Though Adams’ time in the White House was short (only four months), he wrote to his wife, Abigail, from there, “I Pray Heaven to Bestow The Best of Blessing on THIS HOUSE, and on All that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under This Roof!” Theodore Roosevelt had that quotation inscribed on a mantel in the White House. We gladly offer that prayer for The White House.