February 22nd marks the 283rd anniversary of the birth of Virginia’s greatest son, George Washington. An old saying, often attributed to Charles De Gaulle, assures us that the graveyards are full of indispensable men. This is true…save for Washington, who truly was indispensable for the new American republic.
He wasn’t a prolific thinker and writer like some of his Revolutionary era peers. But as such, he did not also embody their sometimes maddening contradictions. Washington was, and remains, aloof, distant, reserved — the prototypical republican, who put a higher value on duty and honor, and the highest value of all on his reputation.
Those qualities helped make him the ideal — and only — choice to lead the Philadelphia Convention that produced the Constitution. Without Washington’s participation and leadership, James Madison knew the Convention would fail. And it’s no secret that Article II was written with Washington in mind. Who better to set the precedents for the nation’s highest office?
Washington’s greatest legacy, however, was his ability to leave power behind. He did it in surrendering his command of the Continental Army, and he did it again by leaving the presidency after two terms (the second of which he sought only reluctantly).
Cincinnatus would have understood.