GW 2/22/99: Immortal text

"...he would have been immortal:"
The 200th Anniversary of the Death of a National Hero

Two hundred years ago, as the young American nation marked the turn of a new century, it also mourned the passing of its beloved founding father and Revolutionary War hero, George Washington. His death on December 14, 1799 was a moment of great sadness for all Americans. When word of his death reached Philadelphia, Congress adjourned immediately and the nationwide mourning which continued for months began. President Adams, in his tribute to the former President, said "...For his fellow-citizens, if their prayers could have been answered, he would have been immortal."

George Washington visited Annapolis oftern for both personal reasons and for matters of state. He had many friends here and enjoyed the city's lively social life, its theater, and its horse racing. His most historic visit was in December 1783, when, on December 23, he came before the Continental Congress in the Old Senate Chamber to resign his commission as Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. After the noon ceremony, Washington left immediately for Mount Vernon to spend Christmas with his family. It was his wish to retire to private life.

Another notable visit by Washington to Annapolis took place in October 1781 as the General made his way to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia from his victory at Yorktown. He was entertained by Governor Thomas Sim Lee at a glittering banquet at the then Governor's Mansion, Jennings House, on what is now the U.S. Naval Academy grounds.

After his resignation from public life, Washington returned to Annapolis on several occasions to promote causes that he believed to be important. In December 1784, he lobbied the General Assembly on behalf of Virginia regarding commerical navigation of the Potomac River. His lobbying led to the Mount Vernon Compact of March 1785 between Maryland and Virginia. This Compact, the first mutually binding agreement between two states, led, in turn, to the Annapolis Convention of September 1786 which issued the call for a Constitutional Convention. George Washington was almost certainly the greatest lobbyist to have ever walked the halls of this State House. The esteem in which he was held is seen in the portrait of Washington, Lafayette & Tilghman at Yorktown by Charles Willson Peale which the General Assembly commissioned in 1781 and which now hangs over the fireplace in the Old Senate Chamber.