President’s Day
“The supreme quality for a leader is unquestionable integrity.”
~President Dwight D. Eisenhower
In 1799, President George Washington passed and a young nation mourned this loss with a heavy heart. To honor his memory, February 22, Washington’s birthday, became a day of remembrance to celebrate the life of one of America’s greatest individuals. Though celebrated since 1800, Washington’s birthday did not become a federally recognized holiday until President Rutherford B Hays signed it into law in 1879. At first this new federal holiday only applied to the District of Columbia and in 1885 became a nationally recognized affair. Washington’s birthday joined four other federal holidays…Christmas Day, New Years Day, the 4th of July and Thanksgiving Day. In 1971, as a part of Uniform Monday Holiday Act, Washington’s birthday federal holiday was moved to the third Monday in February as part of creating more three-day weekends for federal employees. Though recognized as a day to celebrate Washington’s birthday, by the 1980’s, this holiday became one to celebrate and honor all of our nation’s Presidents. As of today, there are four Presidents who have their birthdays in February…George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan but all are too early or too late to fall on President’s Day.
The President’s office has been built over the past two hundred and twenty-eight years by the actions or inactions of the various men who have had the privilege of being elected to that office. We celebrated George Washington because he was a national hero during the struggle for independence and was considered a great leader for his ability to discharge his duties with courage, integrity and honesty. In short, George Washington became the ideal symbol for the new nation and as many historians agree, one of his greatest attributes was humility. Washington could have easily been crowned the new King of the United States or run for President for a life time but he knew that his actions would set the tone for future generations to come. The office of the Presidency is one that should command and deserve respect not only from those who come to visit the office of the President but by the person who resides in the President’s home. Over the years our country has seen those who handled the job well and those who have had their fair share of struggles and scandals but the office…the idea of who and what the president has lived on. The history of the presidency is a fascinating one as each of the previous 44 presidents (43 different men as Grover Cleveland won…then lost…then won his office back so he counts twice) have left a unique legacy that joins the blend and the rich history of the presidency.
I encourage you to take some time today and to get to know some of the interesting facts about our previous presidents…who was the first (and only) president to get married while in office? Who was the first family to have a father and son both as presidents? Who was the first president elected by congress? There are many great sources to find answers to questions like these if you’re in to that kind of trivia. To date, the United States have never had a woman to fill the office of President but throughout our history, dozens of women have thrown their hats into the ring and as with other industrialized nations, I’m sure it is only a matter of time before we will have a woman as a head of state. I hope everyone has a great week moving forward so take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com