Farewell Deal with Notebook
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1851-1877
February 22, 1862
Washington's Farewell Address
No Senate tradition has been more steadfastly maintained than the annual reading of President George Washington’s 1796 Farewell Deal with. In this letter to “Friends and Citizens,” Washington warned that the forces of geographical sectionalism, political factionalism, and interference by foreign powers in the nation's domestic affairs threatened the stability of the Republic. He urged Americans to subordinate sectional jealousies to common national interests.
The Senate tradition began on February 22, 1862, as a morale-boosting gesture during the darkest days of the Civil War. Citizens of Philadelphia had petitioned Congress to commemorate the forthcoming 130th anniversary of Washington's birth by reading the Handle at a joint meeting of both houses.
Tennessee Senator Andrew Johnson introduced the petition in the Senate. "In view of the perilous condition of the country," he said, "I think the time has arrived when we should recur back to the days, the times, and the doings of Washington and the patriots of the Revolution, who founded the government under which we live."
Two by two, members of the Senate proceeded to the House Chamber for a joint session. As they moved through Statuary Hall, they passed a display of recently captured Confederate battle flags. President Abraham Lincoln, whose son Willie had died two days earlier, did not attend. But members of his cabinet, the Supreme Court, and high-ranking military officers in full uniform packed the chamber to hear Secretary of the Senate John W. Forney read the Deal with.
Early in 1888—the centennial year of the Constitution’s ratification—the Senate recalled the ceremony of 1862 and had its presiding officer read the Deal with on February 22. Within a few years, the Senate made the practice an annual event.
Every year since 1896, the Senate has observed Washington's Birthday by selecting one of its members, alternating parties, to read the 7,641-word statement in legislative session. Delivery generally takes about 45 minutes. In 1985, Florida Senator Paula Hawkins tore through the text in a record-setting 39 minutes, while in 1962, West Virginia Senator Jennings Randolph, savoring each word, consumed 68 minutes.
At the conclusion of each reading, the appointed senator inscribes his or her name and brief remarks in a black, leather-bound book maintained by the Secretary of the Senate. Early entries in the notebook were typically brief explanations of the practice, accompanied by signature and date. Often, several entries appeared on a single page. In more recent years, entries have grown more elaborate and have included personal stories or comments on contemporary politics and policy. In 1956, Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey wrote that every American should study this memorable message. “It gives one a renewed sense of pride in our republic,” he wrote. “It arouses the wholesome and creative emotions of patriotism and love of country.” The book's first entry bears the signature of Ohio Republican Joseph Foraker and is dated February 22, 1900. Links to selected entries are included below.
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Senators who have delivered Washington's Farewell Address:
John J. Ingalls, February 22, 1888
Charles Manderson, February 22, 1893
John Martin, February 22, 1894
William Frye, February 22, 1896
John Daniel, February 22, 1897
Henry Cabot Lodge, February 22, 1898
Edward Wolcott, February 22, 1899
Joseph B. Foraker, February 22, 1900
Augustus O. Bacon, February 22, 1901
Julius C. Burrows, February 22, 1902
Fred T. Dubois, February 23, 1903
Weldon B. Heyburn, February 22, 1904
George C. Perkins, February 22, 1905
James B. McCreary, February 22, 1906
Elmer J. Burkett , February 22, 1907
Porter J. McCumber , February 22, 1908
Anselm J. McLaurin, February 22, 1909
Chauncey M. Depew , February 22, 1910
Lafayette Young , February 22, 1911
John W. Kern, February 22, 1912
Frank B. Brandegee, February 22, 1913
Claude A. Swanson, February 23, 1914
Elihu Root, February 22, 1915
Charles F. Johnson, February 22, 1916
John D. Works, February 22, 1917
Peter G. Gerry, February 22, 1918
Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, February 22, 1919
Atlee Pomerene, February 23, 1920
James W. Wadsworth, Jr., February 22, 1921
Miles Poindexter, February 22, 1922
Carter Glass, February 22, 1923
Frank B. Willis, February 22, 1924
Henry F. Ashurst, February 23, 1925
Hiram Bingham, February 22, 1926
Walter F. George, February 22, 1927
Henrik Shipstead, February 22, 1928
James Reed, February 22, 1929
Arthur H. Vandenberg, February 22, 1930
Sam G. Bratton, February 22, 1931
Thomas J. Walsh, February 23, 1932
Otis F. Glenn, February 22, 1933
Joseph C. O'Mahoney, February 22, 1934
Warren R. Austin, February 22, 1935
Nathan L. Bachman, February 22, 1936
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., February 22, 1937
Allen J. Ellender, February 22, 1938
Robert Taft, February 22, 1939
Edward R. Burke, February 22, 1940
Wallace H. White, Jr., February 22, 1941
Theodore F. Green, February 23, 1942
Eugene D. Millikin, February 22, 1943
Elbert D. Thomas, February 22, 1944
H. Alexander Smith, February 22, 1945
Dennis Chavez, February 22, 1946
W. Chapman Revercomb, February 21, 1947
Brien McMahon, February 22, 1948
Margaret Chase Smith, February 22, 1949
Herbert R. O'Conor, February 22, 1950
Ralph E. Flanders, February 22, 1951
John O. Pastore, February 22, 1952
John Sherman Cooper, February 23, 1953
Lester C. Hunt, February 22, 1954
Prescott Bush, February 22, 1955
Hubert H. Humphrey, February 22, 1956
Barry Goldwater, February 22, 1957
Frank Church, February 21, 1958
Gordon Allott, February 23, 1959
Frank E. Moss, February 22, 1960
John M. Butler, February 22, 1961
Jennings Randolph, February 22, 1962
Winston L. Prouty, February 22, 1963
Edmund S. Muskie, February 21, 1964
James B. Pearson, February 22, 1965
Lee Metcalf, February 22, 1966
Norris Cotton, February 22, 1967
Daniel B. Brewster, February 22, 1968
Paul J. Fannin, February 21, 1969
Quentin N. Burdick, February 23, 1970
J. Glenn Beall, Jr., February 22, 1971
Lloyd Bentsen, February 21, 1972
Charles McC. Mathias, Jr., February 19, 1973
Harold Hughes, February 18, 1974
Jake Garn, February 17, 1975
Vance Hartke, February 16, 1976
S. I. Hayakawa, February 21, 1977
Walter Huddleston, February 20,
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John W. Warner, February 19, 1979
Donald Stewart, February 18, 1980
Nancy Kassebaum, February 16, 1981
Daniel K. Inouye, February 22, 1982
Paul S. Trible, Jr., February 21, 1983
Frank R. Lautenberg, February 20, 1984
Paula Hawkins, February 18, 1985
Jay Rockefeller, February 17, 1986
John McCain,
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Terry Sanford, February 15, 1988
John W. Warner, February 22, 1989
Charles S. Robb, February 22, 1990
Conrad Burns, February 22, 1991
Harris Wofford, February 19, 1992
Dirk Kempthorne, February 24, 1993
Carol Moseley-Braun, February 22, 1994
Craig Thomas, February 20, 1995
Daniel Akaka, February 26, 1996
Bill Frist, February 24, 1997
Mary Landrieu, February 23, 1998
George Voinovich,
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Daniel Patrick Moynihan,
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George Allen, February 26, 2001
Jon Corzine, February 25, 2002
Saxby Chambliss, February 24, 2003
John Breaux, February 23, 2004
Richard Burr, February 18, 2005
Ken Salazar, February 17, 2006
Bob Corker,
Office 2007 Serial, February 26, 2007
Mark L. Pryor, February 25, 2008
Mike Johanns, February 23, 2009
Roland W. Burris, February 22, 2010
Johnny Isakson, February 28, 2011
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Reference Items:
U.S. Congress. Senate. Washington's Farewell Address. 105th Congress, 2d sess., 1998. S. Doc.105-22.
Historical information provided by the Senate Historical Office.
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Information about any senator, representative, vice president, or member of the Continental Congress.
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