President's Day

President's Day
Seal of the President of the United States

The original version of the holiday was in commemoration of George Washington's birthday in 1796. By the early 19th century, Washington's Birthday had taken firm root in America as a bona fide national holiday.
The first formal observance of Lincoln's birthday took place in 1865, when both houses of Congress gathered for a memorial address. While Lincoln's Birthday did not become a federal holiday like George Washington's, it did become a legal holiday in several states.
In 1971 President Richard Nixon proclaimed one single federal holiday, the Presidents' Day, to be observed on the third Monday of February, honoring all past presidents of the United States of America.

Small Presidential Seal

United States Flag click each picture to visit the Internet Public Library page for that President Presidential Flag
Presidential Portraits by Chas Fagan

George Washington
1789-1797

John Adams
1797-1801

Thomas Jefferson
1801-1809

James Madison
1809-1817

James Monroe
1817-1825

John Quincy Adams
1825-1829

Andrew Jackson
1829-1837

Martin Van Buren
1837-1841

William H. Harrison
1841

John Tyler
1841-1845

James Polk
1845-1849

Zachary Taylor
1849-1850

Millard Fillmore
1850-1853

Franklin Pierce
1853-1857

James Buchanan
1857-1861

Abraham Lincoln
1861-1865

Andrew Johnson
1865-1869

Ulysses S. Grant
1869-1877

Rutherford B. Hayes
1877-1881

James Garfield
1881

Chester Arthur
1881-1885

Grover Cleveland
1885-1889

Benjamin Harrison
1889-1893

Grover Cleveland
1893-1897

William McKinley
1897-1901

Theodore Roosevelt
1901-1909

William H. Taft
1909-1913

Woodrow Wilson
1913-1921

Warren Harding
1921-1923

Calvin Coolidge
1923-1929

Herbert Hoover
1929-1933

Franklin D. Roosevelt
1933-1945

Harry S. Truman
1945-1953

Dwight Eisenhower
1953-1961

John F. Kennedy
1961-1963

Lyndon Johnson
1963-1969

Richard Nixon
1969-1974

Gerald Ford
1974-1977

James Carter
1977-1981

Ronald Reagan
1981-1989

George Bush
1989-1993

William Clinton
1993-2001

George W. Bush
2001-2009

Barack H. Obama
2009-present

The President's House
The White House

Construction of the President's House began when the first cornerstone was laid in October of 1792. Although President Washington oversaw the construction of the house, he never lived in it. It was not until 1800 that its first residents, President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, moved in. Since that time, each President has made his own changes and additions.
The house has survived a fire at the hands of the British in 1814 and another fire in the West Wing in 1929. Throughout much of Harry Truman’s presidency, the interior of the house, with the exception of the third floor, was completely gutted and renovated. The exterior stone walls are those first put in place when the White House was constructed.
There are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the residence. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators. For recreation there is a variety of facilities available: including a tennis court, jogging track, swimming pool, movie theater, and bowling lane.
The White House is open to the public, free of charge, and receives an average of 5,000 visitors a day. Nevertheless, it is the President’s private home.

Click to Visit the White House online

The Presidential Seal

The Original Presidential Seal The New Presidential Seal

The Presidential Seal has not always been as we recognize it today. Originally it was fixed featuring a coat of arms similar to the one found on The Great Seal of the United States, with an eagle clutching thirteen arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other. Prior to 1945, however, the coat of arms of the presidential seal bore a marked difference to the coat of arms of The Great Seal of the United States. The eagle on the presidential seal faced to the viewer's right, towards the talon with the arrows, while the eagle on the Great Seal faced toward the viewer's left, toward the talon with the olive branches.
One morning, standing at his desk, President Truman presented to the press a new presidential flag ... "This new flag faces the eagle toward the staff," Truman explained, "which is looking to the front all the time when you are on the march, and also has him looking at the olive branch for peace, instead of the arrows for war ..."
On October 25, 1945 President Truman issued Executive Order 9646. This order made several alterations to the presidential flag and seal, among which was the reversal of the eagle's head so that it pointed in the same direction as the one on the Great Seal. The new seal featured an eagle facing to it's right, the direction of honor; and toward the olive branches in it's right talon, symbolizing peace. The former design, first used in 1880 by President Rutherford B. Hayes, featured the eagle facing toward arrows in its left talon, symbolizing war.

The Presidential Song
"Hail to The Chief"
Words by Albert Gamse
Music by James Sanderson
1812
Hail to the Chief we have chosen for the nation,
Hail to the Chief! We salute him, one and all.
Hail to the Chief, as we pledge co-operation
In proud fulfillment of a great, noble call.
Yours is the aim to make this grand country grander,
This you will do, that's our strong, firm belief.
Hail to the one we selected as commander,
Hail to the President! Hail to the Chief!
repeat

Interesting Presidential Trivia

Presidents born before the United States was a country

George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison James Monroe
John Quincy Adams
Andrew Jackson
William Harrison

First African-American President
Barack Obama

Presidents who did not
Attend College

George Washington
Andrew Jackson
Martin VanBuren
Zachary Taylor
Millard Fillmore
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
Grover Cleveland
Harry Truman
Left-Handed Presidents
James Garfield
Could write Latin with one hand and Greek with the other
Herbert Hoover
Harry Truman
Could throw a baseball with either hand
Gerald Ford
Ambidextrous - Left handed sitting down and right handed standing up
Ronald Reagan
Actually a right-handed writer
George Bush
Bill Clinton
Barak Obama

Presidential Birthplaces

ARKANSAS
William Clinton
CALIFORNIA
Richard Nixon
THE CAROLINAS
Andrew Jackson
(historians are not sure whether he
was born in North or South Carolina)
James Polk (North Carolina)
Andrew Johnson (North Carolina)
CONNECTICUT
George W. Bush
GEORGIA
James Carter
Hawaii
Barack Obama
ILLINOIS
Ronald Reagan
IOWA
Herbert Hoover
KENTUCKY
Abraham Lincoln
MASSACHUSETTS
John Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Kennedy
George Bush
MISSOURI
Harry Truman
NEBRASKA
Gerald Ford
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Franklin Pierce
NEW JERSEY
Grover Cleveland
NEW YORK
Martin Van Buren
Millard Fillmore
Theodore Roosevelt
Franklin Roosevelt
OHIO
Ulysses Grant
Rutherford Hayes
James Garfield
Benjamin Harrison
William McKinley
William Taft
Warren Harding
PENNSYLVANIA
James Buchanan
TEXAS
Dwight Eisenhower
Lyndon Johnson
VERMONT
Chester Arthur
Calvin Coolidge
VIRGINIA
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
William Henry Harrison
John Tyler
Zachary Taylor
Woodrow Wilson

Presidential Religions

BAPTIST
Warren Harding
Harry Truman
James Carter
William Clinton
CONGREGATIONALIST
Calvin Coolidge
CHURCH OF CHRIST
Barack Obama
DEIST
Thomas Jefferson
DISCIPLES OF CHRIST
James Garfield
Lyndon Johnson
Ronald Reagan
DUTCH REFORMED
Martin Van Buren
Theodore Roosevelt
EPISCOPALIAN
George Washington
James Madison
James Monroe
William Harrison
John Tyler
Zachary Taylor
Franklin Pierce
Chester Arthur
Franklin Roosevelt
Gerald Ford
George Bush
METHODIST
James Polk
(originally Presbyterian)
Ulysses Grant
William McKinley
George W. Bush
PRESBYTERIAN
Andrew Jackson
James Buchanan
Rutherford Hayes
(also attended Episcopal and Methodist services)
Grover Cleveland
Benjamin Harrison
Woodrow Wilson
Dwight Eisenhower
QUAKER
Herbert Hoover
Richard Nixon
ROMAN CATHOLIC
John Kennedy
UNITARIAN
John Adams
John Quincy Adams
Millard Fillmore
William Taft
NO CHURCH AFFILIATION
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson

Presidents related to earlier Presidents

James Madison
Half first cousin twice removed of George Washington

John Quincy Adams
Son of John Adams
Zachary Taylor
Second cousin of James Madison
Grover Cleveland
Sixth cousin once removed of Ulysses Grant
Benjamin Harrison
Grandson of William Harrison
Theodore Roosevelt
Third cousin twice removed of Martin Van Buren

Franklin Roosevelt
Fourth cousin once removed of Ulysses Grant,
Fourth cousin three times removed of Zachary Taylor,
Fifth cousin of Theodore Roosevelt
Harry Truman
Great-great-great nephew of John Tyler
Richard Nixon
Seventh cousin twice removed of William Taft,
Eighth cousin once removed of Herbert Hoover
George Bush
Fifth cousin four times removed of Franklin Pierce,
Seventh cousin three times removed of Theodore Roosevelt,
Seventh cousin four times removed of Abraham Lincoln,
Eleventh cousin once removed from Gerald Ford

George W. Bush
Son of George Bush

Presidential Family Information

PRESIDENTIAL MARRIAGES
James Tyler
Grover Cleveland
Woodrow Wilson
BACHELOR PRESIDENT
James Buchanan
DIVORCED PRESIDENT
Ronald Reagan
ADOPTED CHILDREN
George Washington
Andrew Jackson
Ronald Reagan
CHILDLESS PRESIDENTS
James Madison
James Polk
James Buchanan

Presidents who died in Office

William Harrison - April 4, 1841
Zachary Taylor - July 9, 1850
Abraham Lincoln - April 15, 1864
(assassinated)
James Garfield - September 19, 1881
(assassinated)
William McKinley - September 14, 1901
(assassinated)
Warren Harding - August 2, 1923
Franklin D. Roosevelt - April 12, 1945
John F. Kennedy - November 22, 1963
(assassinated)

The song playing is
"Hail to The Chief"

Return to Holidays or Cathy's World Index

The Presidential Seal


The Presidential Seal has not always been as we recognize it today. Originally it was fixed featuring a coat of arms similar to the one found on The Great Seal of the United States, with an eagle clutching thirteen arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other. Prior to 1945, however, the coat of arms of the presidential seal bore a marked difference to the coat of arms of The Great Seal of the United States. The eagle on the presidential seal faced to the viewer's right, towards the talon with the arrows, while the eagle on the Great Seal faced toward the viewer's left, toward the talon with the olive branches. One morning, standing at his desk, President Truman presented to the press a new presidential flag ... "This new flag faces the eagle toward the staff," Truman explained, "which is looking to the front all the time when you are on the march, and also has him looking at the olive branch for peace, instead of the arrows for war ..." On October 25, 1945 President Truman issued Executive Order 9646. This order made several alterations to the presidential flag and seal, among which was the reversal of the eagle's head so that it pointed in the same direction as the one on the Great Seal. The new seal featured an eagle facing to it's right, the direction of honor; and toward the olive branches in it's right talon, symbolizing peace. The former design, first used in 1880 by President Rutherford B. Hayes, featured the eagle facing toward arrows in its left talon, symbolizing war.

Presidents born before the United States was a country
George Washington John Adams Thomas Jefferson James Madison	James Monroe John Quincy Adams Andrew Jackson William Harrison
First African-American President Barack Obama

Presidential Birthplaces
ARKANSAS William Clinton CALIFORNIA Richard Nixon THE CAROLINAS Andrew Jackson (historians are not sure whether he was born in North or South Carolina) James Polk (North Carolina) Andrew Johnson (North Carolina) CONNECTICUT George W. Bush GEORGIA James Carter Hawaii Barack Obama ILLINOIS Ronald Reagan IOWA Herbert Hoover KENTUCKY Abraham Lincoln	MASSACHUSETTS John Adams John Quincy Adams John Kennedy George Bush MISSOURI Harry Truman NEBRASKA Gerald Ford NEW HAMPSHIRE Franklin Pierce NEW JERSEY Grover Cleveland NEW YORK Martin Van Buren Millard Fillmore Theodore Roosevelt Franklin Roosevelt	OHIO Ulysses Grant Rutherford Hayes James Garfield Benjamin Harrison William McKinley William Taft Warren Harding PENNSYLVANIA James Buchanan TEXAS Dwight Eisenhower Lyndon Johnson VERMONT Chester Arthur Calvin Coolidge VIRGINIA George Washington Thomas Jefferson James Madison James Monroe William Henry Harrison John Tyler Zachary Taylor Woodrow Wilson

Presidents related to earlier Presidents
James Madison Half first cousin twice removed of George Washington John Quincy Adams Son of John Adams Zachary Taylor Second cousin of James Madison Grover Cleveland Sixth cousin once removed of Ulysses Grant Benjamin Harrison Grandson of William Harrison Theodore Roosevelt Third cousin twice removed of Martin Van Buren	Franklin Roosevelt Fourth cousin once removed of Ulysses Grant, Fourth cousin three times removed of Zachary Taylor, Fifth cousin of Theodore Roosevelt Harry Truman Great-great-great nephew of John Tyler Richard Nixon Seventh cousin twice removed of William Taft, Eighth cousin once removed of Herbert Hoover George Bush Fifth cousin four times removed of Franklin Pierce, Seventh cousin three times removed of Theodore Roosevelt, Seventh cousin four times removed of Abraham Lincoln, Eleventh cousin once removed from Gerald Ford
George W. Bush Son of George Bush

Presidential Family Information
PRESIDENTIAL MARRIAGES James Tyler Grover Cleveland Woodrow Wilson BACHELOR PRESIDENT James Buchanan DIVORCED PRESIDENT Ronald Reagan	ADOPTED CHILDREN George Washington Andrew Jackson Ronald Reagan CHILDLESS PRESIDENTS James Madison James Polk James Buchanan

Presidents who died in Office
William Harrison - April 4, 1841 Zachary Taylor - July 9, 1850 Abraham Lincoln - April 15, 1864 (assassinated) James Garfield - September 19, 1881 (assassinated) William McKinley - September 14, 1901 (assassinated) Warren Harding - August 2, 1923 Franklin D. Roosevelt - April 12, 1945 John F. Kennedy - November 22, 1963 (assassinated)

Other Links of Interest
Presidential Libraries and Museums James Madison Museum The James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library James Buchanan Foundation Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library The Harry S. Truman Presidential Museum and Library The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum The Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library and Museum The Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace The Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum The William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum	Presidents Birthplaces and Homes George Washington Birthplace Mount Vernon, Home & Burial Site of George Washington Adams National Historic Park Monticello, The Home of Thomas Jefferson Montpelier, The Home of James Madison Ash Lawn-Highland, The Home of James Monroe The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's Home Martin Van Buren National Historic Site The James K. Polk Ancestral Home The Lincoln Home National Historic Site Abraham Lincoln Birthplace The Andrew Johnson National Historic Site Ulysses S. Grant Birthplace The Benjamin Harrison Home Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace Theodore Roosevelt National Historic Site The William Howard Taft Home and National Historic Site The Eisenhower Home National Historic Site

Presidential Prayer Requests (for the current week)