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Happy Birthday, Mr. President

Writing in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, John R. Miller, a former U.S. Ambassador, reminded readers of some history behind President’s Day:rsz_1lincolnbday1.jpg

In 1968, the public-employee unions, seeking a three-day weekend, convinced Congress to move the commemoration of Washington’s birthday to the third Monday in February. This eventually led to what we now call President’s Day, which marks the birthday of not only Washington but of Lincoln and all the other presidents. By celebrating every birthday, we effectively celebrate none.

Sadly, Mr. Miller is largely right. I doubt few of us know when Millard Fillmore or Chester Arthur was born.

But should we? Does it even matter?

Speaking as a proud citizen of the United States, I think the answer to that question is an unequivocal “yes.”

It’s important to study the lives of American presidents. As a dad, I also think it’s important to teach that history to our kids, as well as the significance of the presidency itself.  The chronicles of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue are rich, dramatic and important. In fact, I would encourage you to read something about each man who has served as commander-in-chief. It’s easy to discount the importance of some of them. The humor columnist Dave Barry, opining on the contributions of the aforementioned Millard Fillmore, boiled down the highlights of his administration to one:

“The earth did not crash into the sun.”

rsz_lincolnbday2.jpg

I have to admit that’s pretty funny, but of course, it’s anything but true. President Fillmore was not popularly elected, only ascending to the office in 1850 following the sudden death of Zachary Taylor. Fillmore presided over a tumultuous time in American history.  At a time when the issue of slavery was threatening to tear the country in two, President Fillmore was a strong supporter of the Compromise of 1850. He signed it into law thinking it would hold the Union together. It did the exact opposite. In retrospect, it gave something for people on both sides of the slavery debate to hate. He was not reelected.

The “President’s Club” is, indeed, an elite and important group. In fact, just over half as many men (24) have been near or walked on the moon as have been President (43).  Whatever our party or ideological leanings, every president is deserving of our respect. It is, after all, arguably the toughest job in the world.

Since the thrust of today centers on the birthdays of presidents, ever wonder if you shared a birthday with a former chief executive?  Before offering you the list of dates to examine, I wanted to explain several of the pictures attached to this blog.

On February 12th, Focus hosted a wonderful celebration in honor of President Lincoln. It was organized by a colleague of mine here at the ministry, Phil Williams. Phil is a passionate patriot who has devoted much of his free time to reminding people that many of America’s early leaders were individuals of strong Christian faith.  Over 2,000 people came out on that sunny Saturday to meet and hear “President Lincoln.” Other events included musket demonstrations, a drum and fife duo and several historical characters adorned in period dress. We’ve received numerous requests for an encore presentation!

If today is a day off for you, I hope you enjoy it with your family.  Happy President’s Day!

George Washington
February 22, 1732
John Adams
October 30, 1735
Thomas Jefferson
April 13, 1743
James Madison
March 16, 1751
James Monroe
April 28th, 1758
John Quincy Adams
July 11, 1767
Andrew Jackson
March 15, 1767
Martin Van Buren
December 5, 1782
William Henry Harrison
February 9, 1773
John Tyler
March 29, 1790
James K. Polk
November 2, 1795
Zachary Taylor
November 24, 1784
Millard Fillmore
January 7, 1800
Franklin Pierce
November 23, 1804
James Buchanan
April 23, 1791
Abraham Lincoln
February 12, 1809
Andrew Johnson
December 29, 1808
Ulysses S. Grant
April 27, 1822
Rutherford B. Hayes
October 4, 1822
James A. Garfield
November 19, 1831
Chester A. Arthur
October 5, 1829
Grover Cleveland
March 18, 1837
Benjamin Harrison
August 20, 1833
William McKinley
January 29, 1843
Theodore Roosevelt
October 27, 1858
William Howard Taft
September 15, 1857
Woodrow Wilson
December 28, 1856
Warren G. Harding
November 2, 1865
Calvin Coolidge
July 4, 1872
Herbert Hoover
August 10, 1874
Franklin D. Roosevelt
January 30, 1882
Harry S. Truman
May 8, 1884
Dwight D. Eisenhower
October 14, 1890
John F. Kennedy
May 29, 1917
Lyndon B. Johnson
August 27, 1908
Richard M. Nixon
January 9, 1913
Gerald R. Ford
July 14, 1913
Jimmy Carter
October 1, 1924
Ronald W. Reagan
February 6, 1911
George H. W. Bush
June 12, 1924
William J. Clinton
August 19, 1946
George W. Bush
July 6, 1946
Barack H. Obama
August 4, 1961

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Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, faith, staff February 21, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

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Jim-Daly President of Focus on the Family
Jim Daly
with Paul Batura

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Jim-Daly Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.

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