Friday, October 23, 2026

22Feb1862 Reading of GWFA in Joint Session of Congress

SOURCE: https://www.congress.gov/congressional-globe/page-headings/37th-congress/n-a/39571 

Follow THIS LINK FOR DETAILS ON ORIGIN OF TRADITION

After the resolution text from which the proposed legislation is patterned after.

TRANSCRIBED FROM OFFICIAL RECORD 

Seats in the hall had been prepared for a large number of invited guests.

The galleries, with the exception of that reserved for the families of senators and members, had been densely crowded from an early hour in the morning.

The members of the house, by request of the speaker occupied the rear seats in the hall on the left of the speakers chair. The doors of the main entrance to the hall we're now thrown open, and the members of the House, rising, received the invited guests of the occasion in the following order:

The Vice President of the United States and the Secretary of the Senate, preceded by the Sergeant-at-Arms and Chaplain.

The Senate of the United States and its other officers and official reporters.

The heads of the several departments.

The judges of the Supreme Court of the United states.

Officers of the Army and Navy of the United states.

Distinguished citizens and other invited guests.

The entrance into the Hall of the Army and the Navy officers, in full uniform, headed by General McClellan, was greeted with general manifestations of applause by the galleries.

The President of the United States, in consequence of the recent death of his son, was not present. 

The Senators were assigned to seats on the left of the speaker, in front of the members of the house. On the right of the seats nearest the main aisle or occupied in the following order, commencing at the area fronting the clerk's desk:

1. The heads of the department's, of whom all were present.

2. The judges of The Supreme court, all being present except the chief justice.

3. the officers of the Army and Navy, of whom about 50 were present, consisting of major generals and brigadier generals of the Army and officers of assimilated rank in the Navy.

A large number of representatives of foreign governments were present as spectators, and occupied seats on the right of the officers of the Army and Navy not participating, however in the proceedings, as the guests of the two Houses.

The other invited guests, to the number of about 100, including the heads of bureaus and many distinguished citizens, occupied seats on the extreme right.

The members of the House now resumed their seats, and the speaker called the assembly to order. The chaplain of the House, Reverend Thomas H. Stockton, offered the following prayer:

Oh Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth, who has set thy Glory above the heavens. In Thy presence how little is our greatness! The official representatives of republics, kingdoms, and empires, magistrates, legislators, judges, and ambassadors, officers of  The Army and Navy, and persons of all ranks and classes in society, still remembering our fallen and low estate, we hasten to take shelter in the shadow of Thy Son, beseeching Thee to look upon the face of Thine anointed, and, for His sake, to forgive our iniquities, transgressions, and sins. So renewed comma inspired comma and sanctified comma May we make an acceptable offering unto thee through the Holy Spirit.

Blessed Be Thy Name forever in the beneficence of thy Providence and the redeeming progress of thy Grace in behalf of all nations! Blessed be Thy name for this goodly land, for the brotherhood of the peoples possessing it, and the liberty, equality, and strength of the Government which controls it. Blessed be Thy name for the piety and charity, the unity and bravery, the enterprise, industry, and prosperity of our fathers. Blessed be Thy name for every pure and wise and useful citizen whose history adorns our annals. Blessed be Thy name, especially that the same supreme foresight which gave Moses to Israel gave Washington to America. Blessed be Thy name for the birth and life, the character and accomplishments, the labors, achievements, and influence of the model man --- a patriot, a soldier, a statesman, a magistrate, whom we thus this day remember, not only as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen," but also as first in the admiration and veneration of mankind. Blessed be Thy name that Washington was a man of prayer, that he called upon Thee, not only in private, but in public also; that he trusted in Christ, and drew near to the mercy-seat; that in accepting office and fulfilling office and resigning office, he called upon Thee, commending himself to thy favor and his country to thy blessing. Blessed be Thy name for his Farewell Address the sentiments it contains and his own recommendation that we frequently review it.

And remembering that Thou art the God, not of the dead, but of the living for all live unto thee - and that Washington is now as consciously and visibly present with the as we ourselves are, though the time of supplication has been closed to him, still we, in his spirit, in his name, would turn on this occasion his earthly vows into supplication at Thy throne, that the choices tokens of the beneficence may still be continued unto us; that the free Constitution transmitted unto us maybe sacredly maintained; that it's administration in every department may be stamped with wisdom and virtue, and that the happiness of the people, under the auspices of liberty, may be made complete by so careful and observance of it that every nation which is yet a stranger to it may be induced to give it applause, and regard it with affectionate devotion.

And now, O Lord Our God, in whose heaven there is no sin, no disease, no violence, no death, and therefore no sorrow, we cannot close our prayer without a thought of our beloved president and his weeping household, and without a thought of the pale beauty that reposes among them, to bloom on Earth and no more forever. Ah, Lord God, from eternity to eternity Thou art the Living One, but we are beings of a breath and creatures of a moment. Our cherished sister, the widowed Queen of England, silently mourns in her island home, and, our national mansion is a darkened and still, and all over our country and all over the world, smitten hearts, smitten almost unto breaking, wait in faith and patience and hope before Thee. God be merciful to us miserable Sinners; Pardon and sanctify and save us all.

And now once more, behold, O Lord, our southern brethren. Disappoint, defeat, and utterly overthrow the plans, the atrocious and reasonable plans of their leaders; and may the people themselves, who have been so grossly deceived, to lay down the arms which they ought never to have taken up, and return to the common love which waits to embrace them. And O Thou, Most High, let not them vindictive purposes of Thy providence, or the progress of social Redemption be stayed for a moment. 

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; that kingdom come; Thy will be done on Earth as it done in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but Deliver Us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and Glory forever. Amen.

The Secretary of the Senate, John W. Fortney, Esquire read Washington Farewell Address as follows...





Monday, October 5, 2026

ChatGPT_Sum_Hist_Waf

 Here’s a concise summary of the uploaded statement:

Summary

William Prescott Perry describes how his family heritage, childhood experiences, and study of American history led him to a lifelong commitment to reviving the civic teachings of George Washington and Andrew Jackson, particularly their warnings about threats to national unity.

  • Family heritage: Perry originally believed he was descended from Col. William Prescott of Bunker Hill. Genealogical research instead showed that his namesake was Jeremiah Prescott of the New Hampshire Militia, whose father Jeremiah also served in the Continental Army. His nephew independently joined the Sons of the Revolution through an ancestor named Erasmus Perry. Perry sees these Revolutionary-era connections as reinforcing his sense of patriotic duty. 
  • Washington and Jackson: Perry regards the Farewell Addresses of George Washington and Andrew Jackson as national treasures that deserve much greater prominence in American civic life, education, and government. 
  • National unity: He highlights Washington's warning that the Union is essential to American independence, prosperity, liberty, and security, and that Americans should resist efforts to weaken the bonds between the states. He pairs this with Jackson's warning that sectional division could ultimately turn political disputes into armed conflict. 
  • Personal civic motivation: Perry recalls President Kennedy's famous challenge to consider what one can do for one's country as an early influence on his patriotism. Although he did not pursue military service, he says that discovering Washington's Farewell Address in 1996 profoundly affected him. He was particularly troubled that its bicentennial received little public recognition compared with the centennial in 1896. 
  • His mission: Perry concludes that his principal way of serving the country is to restore Washington's and Jackson's words to their rightful status as national treasures. He also notes the historical tradition of reading Washington's Farewell Address on the Senate floor around Washington's birthday, a tradition that began during the Civil War. 
  • Central message: He closes by emphasizing Jackson's characterization of Washington's Farewell Address as a legacy whose wisdom and foresight seemed almost prophetic—warning Americans of dangers to come. Perry's repeated theme is that Americans should recover these teachings before division and sectionalism again threaten the Union. 

In one sentence: The document is a personal patriotic appeal arguing that Washington's and Jackson's warnings about national unity, sectional division, and the preservation of the Union should once again occupy a central place in American education, public consciousness, and government.

Saturday, October 3, 2026

OPEN LETTER TO: History with Waffles 3Oct26

NOTE: Click/tap HERE for information on History With Waffles.

My name is William Prescott Perry. Earlier this year, I began using my middle name with regularity because I am proud of my heritage for, as a little boy, I recall being told that my namesake was Col. William Prescott of Bunker Hill fame. I even shared on social media President Trump's recent executive proclamation of its 250th anniversaty when I modified my name on social media.

However, after my having applied for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution, it was discovered that I was not descended from him as I had assumed but rather a Jeremiah Prescott of the New Hampshire Militia. He was my namesake, not my great-{xxxx?} grandfather.

After meeting with the educational representative of SAR in Louisville, KY to discuss my crusade to BRING GEORGE WASHINGTON BACK TO WASHINGTON, I asked the librarian if he had overheard our conversation and what was with all the books. He said they were related to genealogy. He assisted me finding out more about my kin Jeremiah. Turns out Jeremiah had a father named Jeremiah and he also served in the Continental Army. Needless to say, that made me more proud than if it been confirmed that I was Col. William's kin.

Adding to the pride of my family heritage, my nephew on his own accord, became a member of the Sons of the Revolution, a different organization. The qualifying ancestor was an Erasmus Perry. That both sides of my family are descended from the patriots who served in the Continental Army, I have concluded that my passionate obsession to restore His Excellency, the Most Honorable George Washington's final words to the American people to their rightful place in the American conscience, classrooms and, most importantly, chambers of government is related to the fact the American revolutionary spirit is literally in my DNA through and through. Ditto for President Jackson's because of the manner in which he recognized President Washington's and built upon it his own to become a national treasure of equal brilliance.

I do not know how familiar or not you are with the farewell addresses of Presidents Washington and Jackson but they are national treasures that need to be resurrected and illuminated for the American people to see and cherish.

This passage from President Washington's farewell particularly relevant to his attempt at avoidance of the Civil War:

The unity of  government which constitutes you one people is also now dear to you. It is justly so, for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquility at home, your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity; of that very liberty which you so highly prize. But as it is easy to foresee that, from different causes and from different quarters, much pains will be taken, many artifices employed to weaken in your minds the conviction of this truth; as this is the point in your political fortress against which the batteries of internal and external enemies will be most constantly and actively (though often covertly and insidiously) directed, it is of infinite moment that you should properly estimate the immense value of your national union to your collective and individual happiness; that you should cherish a cordial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it; accustoming yourselves to think and speak of it as of the palladium of your  political safety and prosperity; watching for its preservation with jealous anxiety; discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion that it can in any event be abandoned; and indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts.


... as is this one from President Jackson's:

We behold systematic efforts publicly made to sow the seeds of discord between different parts of the United States and to place party divisions directly upon geographical distinctions; to excite the South against the North and the North against the South, and to force into the controversy the most delicate and exciting topics--topics upon which it is impossible that a large portion of the Union can ever speak without strong emotion... What have you to gain by division and dissension? Delude not yourselves with the belief that a breach once made may be afterwards repaired. If the Union is once severed, the line of separation will grow wider and wider, and the controversies which are now debated and settled in the halls of legislation will then be tried in fields of battle and determined by the sword.

Another one of my earliest memories as a child is President Kennedy asking me to ask what I could do for our country. T'was then the seed of patriotism and sense of civic duty was planted which has since grown to maturity.


I turned 18 the very year the draft was eliminated and the war in Vietnam was winding down in and was in no way in inclined to join military service. It was not until 1996 that I first became aware President Washington's final words to the American people. I was disgusted and embarrassed the bicentennial anniversary of such a monumental event in American history could pass by unnoticed by our government and the media in comparison to the centennial in 1896. 

Again, I have determined the best way I can be of service to our country is to do everything in my power to restore the words of these two towering figures in American history to their rightful place as national treasures.

I commend you on your splendid and detailed analysis of Civil War engagements. I have visited Gettysburg many, many times over the years as well as a few others -- including Antietam and Chicamauga - Gettysburg the most because, as you said in one of your presentations, it just keeps one coming back. 

I don't know what your sentiments are with regard to ghosts at Gettysburg but, in my opinion through first hand experience, they are very, very real - as explained in my GETTYSBURG ADDRESS FOR THE THIRD MILLENNIUM. As I recently updated my page to include a photograph of the monument of the 20th Maine, I noticed the name of a Pvt. Stephen A. Prescott engraved upon it and can't not wonder if we are somehow related, however distantly.

In case you were unaware, the seeds of the tradition of reading President Washington's Farewell Address on the floor of the United States Senate around the time of his birthday began in the darkest hours of the Civil War. By selecting this link, it will take you to the official record of the day.

I appreciate the fine work you have been doing and intend to delve into it as deep as possible. I could go on longer, but wish to keep this brief as possible. Therefore, I will leave you with one of my favorite - and most prescient - passages from President Jackson's words to the American people and posterity.


“
... the lessons contained in this invaluable legacy of Washington to his countrymen should be cherished in the heart of every citizen ... his paternal counsels would seem to be not merely the offspring of wisdom and foresight, but the voice of prophecy, foretelling events and warning us of the evil to come.”
Repeat: “PROPHECY...WARNING US OF THE EVIL TO COME”
Any questions?
Thank you for your time and attention and I hope to hear your sentiments on these matters.

Very truly yours,

William Prescott, Perry, Founder and Director



P.S. the following are worthy of the attention of all interested parties:

VIDEO:



Wednesday, September 30, 2026

US Senator Kaine Remarks READING OF GWFA 24Feb26

 

READING OF WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL ADDRESS; Congressional Record Vol. 172, No. 36
(Senate - February 24, 2026)


[Pages S627-S632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                READING OF WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL ADDRESS

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the Senate 
of January 24, 1901, as modified by the orders of February 11 and 
February 23, 2026, the Senator from Virginia, Mr. Kaine, will now read 
Washington's Farewell Address.
  Mr. KAINE. Madam President, I rise today to continue an important 
Senate tradition. Each year, beginning in 1896, on a day near in time 
to George Washington's birthday, a Senator, alternating between 
parties, stands in the Senate to read Washington's Farewell Address, 
presented 100 years earlier as our first President neared the end of 
his second term.
  During the 130 years of this tradition, seven Virginia Senators have 
preceded me in reading the Address, which was written by the archetypal 
son of our Commonwealth, with the assistance of close confidants 
Alexander Hamilton and another Virginia native son James Madison. Those 
Virginians who read the Farewell Address on the Senate floor are: John 
Daniel, Claude Swanson, Carter Glass, John Warner--twice--Paul Trible, 
Chuck Robb, and George Allen.
  It is particularly appropriate that this year's reading is delivered 
in the Senate Chamber hours before President Trump is set to deliver 
his State of the Union Address in the House Chamber.
  Washington's words demonstrate the mixture of wisdom, patriotism, and 
selflessness that should serve as a model for all Presidents and set 
the expectations for all Americans for how a President should approach 
the sacred trust of serving as America's Chief Executive.
  Washington's Farewell Address to the people of the United States.
  Mr. Kaine, at the rostrum, read the Farewell Address as follows: >>>>

SOURCE: https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-172/issue-36/senate-section/article/S627-5?hl=George+Washington+farewell+address&s=2&r=29

US Senator Burr Remarks READING OF GWFA 18Feb05

 


[Pages S1703-S1708]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL ADDRESS

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the 
Senator from North Carolina, Mr. Burr, is designated to read 
Washington's Farewell Address.
  Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I am honored today to take part in the 
Senate's annual tradition of reading George Washington's farewell 
address to the Nation. I am truly humbled to add my name to the list of 
Senators who have been privileged to read the address.
  The address, delivered by Washington in the form of an open letter to 
his fellow countrymen, appeared in newspapers across our young Nation 
over 200 years ago. Then, as now, we struggle sometimes with 
Washington's words. We debate meaning and we debate intent, but perhaps 
our discourse is what Washington himself intended. Our independence and 
our freedom is, in fact, the source of our strength.
  I believe that the address is President Washington's call for 
Americans to look beyond divisions and to gain strength in our unity of 
purpose.
  Washington's Farewell Address to the people of the United States of 
America:

To the people of the United States: >>>>

Sen. Burr's subsequent entry in the Senate's Farewell Address Notebook 
Senator Richard Burr: “I am honored and humbled by the chance to share the words of our 1st president. This wonderful tradition continued now for over a century should serve as a reminder to all that Americans cherish our independence or lose our freedoms and our hope for peace.”

https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-151/issue-19/senate-section/article/S1703-5?hl=George+Washington+farewell+address&s=2&r=10

Rep Hill Remarks Reading GWFA 25Feb26

 

PRESIDENT WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL ADDRESS; Congressional Record Vol. 172, No. 37
(House - February 25, 2026)

[Pages H2309-H2314]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PRESIDENT WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL ADDRESS

  (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. Hill of 
Arkansas was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority 
leader.)


                             General Leave

  Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of the Special 
Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arkansas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today with my 
colleagues to lead the House of Representatives in reading President 
George Washington's farewell address.
  Having just celebrated the 294th birthday of our indispensable first 
President, this is a fitting tribute as we celebrate the 250th year of 
our Nation's creation.
  The farewell address is a remarkable document. Published in the 
American Daily Advertiser on September 19, 1796, it was never delivered 
in person, but it was widely read and remains one of the most important 
documents in American history.
  President Washington completed his two terms as our indispensable 
first President. He was first in war, first in peace, and first in the 
hearts of his countrymen.
  Every step of the way, he viewed his actions through the lens of the 
precedent it would set for the Presidency and for future Presidents: 
his dress, his decorum, his relationship with Congress, his decisions 
about his Cabinet, and his approach to executive decisionmaking.
  In this address, you will see clearly that he ended his extraordinary 
public career on a high note.
  The practice of reading the farewell address began in a joint session 
of Congress on February 22, 1862, during the darkest days of the Civil 
War. [click/tap here for details]
  The Senate revived the ceremonial reading in 1888, and each year 
since 1896, the Senate has observed George Washington's birthday in 
February by selecting a Senator, alternating parties, to read the 
7,641-word statement in their legislative session. This year, 
fittingly, in this year of America250, our semiquincentennial, it was 
Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia.
  The House revived the ceremonial reading in 1889 and continued 
intermittently until 1933, after which it became an annual fixture in 
until 1979. [click/tap here for information regarding discontinuance]

                              {time}  1110

  Today, Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I are delighted to return this 
tradition to the House floor accompanied by our handsome portrait of 
our first President by John Vanderlyn that has hung here in the House 
Chamber since the 1830s.
  Mr. Washington's Farewell Address:
  ``Friends and Fellow-Citizens:>>>>>>

                              {time}  1150
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues,  Mike Kennedy of Utah,  Don Beyer 
of Virginia, and Ben Cline of Virginia, for joining me in this renewal 
of tradition in this, our semiquincentennial year, of reading George 
Washington's Farewell Address.
  Indeed, as that Member of the very first Congress from Virginia, 
American Revolutionary War hero Light-Horse Harry Lee, said at George 
Washington's eulogy, he was, in fact, ``First in war, first in peace, 
and first in the hearts of his countrymen.''
  I give my thanks also to Speaker Johnson and the Republican vice 
chairman, Blake Moore, for allowing us to use this time on the House 
floor.
  I encourage all of our citizens to participate in America's 250th 
birthday in this year of 2026 as we celebrate on July Fourth the 
signing and publication of our Declaration of Independence from July 
Fourth, 1776.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________




Tuesday, September 29, 2026

US Senator Corzine Remarks READING OF GWFA 25Feb02

 [Pages S979-S984]

From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                READING OF WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL ADDRESS

  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the Senator from 
New Jersey, Mr. Corzine, is recognized to read George Washington's 
Farewell Address.
  Mr. CORZINE. In September 1796, worn out by burdens of the presidency 
and attacks of political foes, George Washington announced his decision 
not to seek a third term. With the assistance of Alexander Hamilton and 
James Madison, Washington composed in a ``Farewell Address'' his 
political testament to the nation. Designed to inspire and guide future 
generations, the address also set forth Washington's defense of his 
administration's record and embodied a classic statement of Federalist 
doctrine.
  Washington's principal concern was for the safety of the eight-year-
old Constitution. He believed that the stability of the Republic was 
threatened by the forces of geographical sectionalism, political 
factionalism, and interference by foreign powers in the nation's 
domestic affairs. He urged Americans to subordinate sectional 
jealousies to common national interests. Writing at a time before 
political parties had become accepted as vital extraconstitutional, 
opinion-focusing agencies, Washington feared that they carried the 
seeds of the nation's destruction through petty factionalism. Although 
Washington was in no sense the father of American isolationism, since 
he recognized the necessity of temporary associations for 
``extraordinary emergencies,'' he did counsel against the establishment 
of ``permanent alliances with other countries,'' connections that he 
warned would inevitably be subversive of America's national interest.
  Washington did not publicly deliver his Farewell Address. It first 
appeared on September 19, 1796, in the Philadelphia Daily American 
Advertiser and then in papers around the country.
  In January 1862, with the Constitution endangered by civil war, a 
thousand citizens of Philadelphia petitioned Congress to commemorate 
the forthcoming 130th anniversary of George Washington's birth by 
providing that ``the Farewell Address of Washington be read aloud on 
the morning of that day in one or the other of the Houses of 
Congress.'' Both houses agreed and assembled in the House of 
Representatives' chamber on February 22, 1862, where Secretary of the 
Senate John W. Forney ``rendered `The Farewell Address' very 
effectively,'' as one observer recalled.
  The practice of reading the Farewell Address did not immediately 
become a tradition. The address was first read in regular legislative 
sessions of the Senate in 1888 and the House in 1899. (The House 
continued the practice until

[[Page S980]]

1984.) Since 1893 the Senate has observed Washington's birthday by 
selecting one of its members to read the Farewell Address. The 
assignment alternates between members of each political party. 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.
  The version of the address printed here is taken from the original of 
the final manuscript in the New York Public Library provided courtesy 
of The Papers of George Washington. The only changes have been to 
modernize spelling, capitalization, and punctuation [note foot].
  Mr. CORZINE, at the rostrum, read the Farewell Address, as follows:


Sen. Corzine's entry in GWFA notebook..

NOTE:  :The only changes have been to modernize spelling, capitalization, and punctuation:
THANKS TO YOUR HUMBLE FOUNDER OF THE GWFA R&PP