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Presidents’ Day: five facts you didn’t know about George Washington

Although today has culturally morphed into Presidents' Day over the years, the official holiday is George Washington's birthday -- even though Washington was born on February 22. Here are five little-known facts about the original founding father.

5. He was a man of many firsts

AP Photo/Mort Kuntsler
This undated photo of a painting provided by artist Mort Kuntsler, shows “Washington's Crossing: McKonkey's Ferry, Dec. 26, 1776.”

Naturally, as the first president Washington had many firsts in office. But a few of his accomplishments were things none of his successors ever did.  

  • Washington was the only president to have been unanimously elected by the Electoral College, receiving all 69 votes in both the 1789 and 1792 elections. At the time, there was no popular vote for the presidency.
  • He was the only president who did not live in Washington, D.C. during his presidency. Instead, he was located first in New York and then spent the lion’s share of his presidency in Philadelphia, which served as the temporary national capital for 10 years, while the District of Columbia was under construction.
  • He was the only one of America’s founding fathers to free his slaves. He freed all 124 of his slaves in his will, and he left enough money in his estate to care for all of them decades after his death.
  • Washington was also the only president who did not represent a political party. 
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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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