George Washington's Death Day

thefinn

George Washington died 219 years ago today.
I love the Lafayette Commemorative Dollar for the fact that all of them were struck on December 14, 1899 - the 100th anniversary of GW's death. Someone put some thought into that to honor the "Indispensable Man".

Hydrant

Perhaps the greatest man who ever lived. Look it up. Do the research. In many ways we owe our birthright blessings of freedom, liberty, and self determination that have been bestowed upon our families and ourselves to him. A courageous and heroic man when just a teenager. The Indians considered him imbued with magical powers who could not be killed in battle. The spirits looked over him. They knew. We should too. The FATHER of our country. God blessed him and through him God blessed the U.S.A. Be grateful.

Regulated

Some egregious related coin(ish) content:

291fifth

I wonder why the medal shown indicates his death date as Dec. 15 rather than Dec. 14?

Regulated

Good question...

golden

I just wonder where we would be today if we had not had him on our side.

musstangr

I also have also been reading up on this great man of late. Truly amazing what he accomplished, especially before he became our first President....which is NOT the stuff that the majority of of us were taught in school. For sure must reading.
A great, great man.

cardinal

Years ago, I read an article in the Smithsonian Magazine that was based on Washington’s journal. The article focused on the time after the War and before he was President.

He had just been nominated for President, and was debating whether he would accept the position or not. He wrote that he really just wanted to go home and tend his farming, but he realized there was still a duty to be done, so he accepted the responsibilities of President!

As he made his way to the Capitol, it took weeks and weeks, as every town he passed through wanted to celebrate his visit!

As famous as he was in his own time, he remained humble, and even as President, he signed his letters, saying:

“Your most obedient and very humble servant, Geo Washington”

Can any of us remember any recent President so loved but still humble?

CaptHenway

Don’t forget the 1999 200th Anniversary of his death gold $5.

cardinal

@CaptHenway said:
Don’t forget the 1999 200th Anniversary of his death gold $5.

mannie gray

@cardinal said:

@CaptHenway said:
Don’t forget the 1999 200th Anniversary of his death gold $5.

One of my favorite commems.
Fantastic coin.

ricko

Truly a great man.... and in the company of other great men, they created a nation. Cheers, RickO

kaz

Everyone should read Ron Chernow's biography; lengthy but really, really good.

Treashunt

@291fifth said:
I wonder why the medal shown indicates his death date as Dec. 15 rather than Dec. 14?

A change in the calendar after that time

CaptHenway

@cardinal said:

@CaptHenway said:
Don’t forget the 1999 200th Anniversary of his death gold $5.

Curiously, when these first came out they were listed in the Redbook as just "George Washington Commemorative 1999," until I pointed out to Ken Bressett that 1999 was the Bicentennial of Washington's death.

How did the Mint market them, does anybody remember? Was the word "death" used at all?

CaptHenway

@291fifth said:
I wonder why the medal shown indicates his death date as Dec. 15 rather than Dec. 14?

It also has the year he retired as President wrong, so I would say just sloppy research on the part of the engraver.

A change in calendar affected his birth date, but not his death date.

thefinn

Madison called him the "Indispensable Man" because his approval of the Constitution was needed so that the document would even have a chance to pass. I have heard that the choice for the first President of the United States would have been Franklin, but that he was too far advanced in age to be considered. He was much more of an intellectual than Washington, and more experience and notoriety in international affairs, but Washington was more loved by the common folk. His humility in limiting his service to two terms was incredible - no ruler in the history of the world had ever stepped down from power voluntarily. If he had died in office, it would have set a precedent that the office of President was a life-long appointment, like a Supreme Court appointment.

"He had no children so that the nation could call him father."

Alltheabove76

He was a great man and truly the father of our country. But the greatest man who ever lived? For all his virtues the fact that he owned 300 slaves is something that will forever reduce him to the realm of mortals.

Hemispherical

@Treashunt said:

@291fifth said:
I wonder why the medal shown indicates his death date as Dec. 15 rather than Dec. 14?

A change in the calendar after that time

Curiosity makes me ask, what change in the calendar?

291fifth

@Hemispherical said:

@Treashunt said:

@291fifth said:
I wonder why the medal shown indicates his death date as Dec. 15 rather than Dec. 14?

A change in the calendar after that time

Curiosity makes me ask, what change in the calendar?

The British were still using the Julian calendar in 1732 when Washington was born. They switched to the Gregorian (current) calendar in about 1752. This change would not have had an effect on Washington's date of death.

Hemispherical

@291fifth said:

@Hemispherical said:

@Treashunt said:

@291fifth said:
I wonder why the medal shown indicates his death date as Dec. 15 rather than Dec. 14?

A change in the calendar after that time

Curiosity makes me ask, what change in the calendar?

The British were still using the Julian calendar in 1732 when Washington was born. They switched to the Gregorian (current) calendar in about 1752. This change would not have had an effect on Washington's date of death.

Thanks! My mind was in the wrong century when I was thinking about the calendar change.

DCW

Merriam's Washington Tomb Medal, "Resurgimus."

thefinn

@Alltheabove76 said:
He was a great man and truly the father of our country. But the greatest man who ever lived? For all his virtues the fact that he owned 300 slaves is something that will forever reduce him to the realm of mortals.

Oh that we had such men in our current realm of mortals. In his place and time he was a giant. Today, he would be a colossus.