# 2414 - 1989 25c Constitution Bicentennial: Executive Branch

U.S. #2414
1989 25¢ Executive Branch
Constitution Bicentennial Series

• Issued for 200^th anniversary Washington’s inauguration
• Third stamp in Government Branches mini-series
• Pictures statue of Washington that stands in the spot where he took his first oath of office in 1789

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Series:  Constitution Bicentennial
Value:  25¢, first-class rate
First Day of Issue:  April 16, 1989
First Day City:  Mt Vernon, Virginia
Quantity Issued:  138,580,000
Printed by:  Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method:  Lithographed and Engraved
Format:  Panes of 50 in sheets of 200
Perforations:  11

Why the stamp was issued:  As part of a series commemorating the 200^th anniversary of the US Constitution.  This was also the third stamp in a mini-series honoring the three branches of our government.  It honors the Executive Branch and commemorates George Washington’s first inauguration.  The exact anniversary date was April 30, however, USPS officials worried that the stamp’s first day ceremony might be overlooked among all the other events planned for that busy day.  Instead, the stamp’s release coincided with the start of two-week’s worth of re-enactment events that began at Washington’s home of Mt. Vernon. 

About the stamp design:  The Executive Branch stamp pictures a bronze statue of George Washington by John Quincy Adams Ward. Completed in 1883, it stands in the same spot where Washington stood at Federal Hall for his first inauguration.  Washington’s inauguration had been featured on a stamp before (US #854).

First Day City:  The First Day ceremony for this stamp was held at Washington’s home, Mt. Vernon, Virginia.  The ceremony marked the start of two weeks of a re-enactment journey.  An actor portraying George Washington departed Mt. Vernon and spent the next two weeks making the same stops Washington had 200 years earlier, leading up to his arrival at Federal Hall on April 30.  The USPS offered pictorial cancels of 18 cities along the route where he stopped.

About the Constitution Bicentennial Series:  This series was produced in 1989 and 1990 to commemorate the 200^th anniversary the Constitution as well as our three branches of government it created.  However, the USPS opted to do four stamps, so both chambers of Congress could have their own stamps. Both for political considerations and because they each have their own anniversary dates. 

The three branches had previously been honored on stamps as part of a set honoring the 150^th anniversary of the creation of the District of Columbia.  That set pictured each of the buildings in which the operated.  Early mockups for the Bicentennial stamps also included these buildings along with other recognizable symbols associated with the branches.  The Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee felt that had been done enough times already and wanted to do something else.  Eventually they settled on depictions of sculptural objects relating to each branch with a matching black and gold color scheme.  Stamp artist Howard Koslow visited the US Capitol and Supreme Court and spoke to experts and historians about which subjects would be best for each stamp.

History the stamp represents:  On April 30, 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as America’s first president.  It was a day filled with celebration and established many traditions still in use today.

According to the Congress of the Confederation, the new government under the US Constitution was supposed to begin operations on March 4, 1789.  However, several logistical issues prevented that from happening.  A few members of the Senate and House met on that date, but not enough to make quorum, the required number to officially begin work.

A month earlier, 69 state electors unanimously voted to elect Washington the first president of the United States on February 4.  The House and Senate were able to officially convene in early April.  They counted the electoral votes and certified that Washington was elected president and John Adams vice president.

Washington officially received word of his unanimous election at 5 p.m. on April 14.  While Washington was initially reluctant to take the position, he agreed to out of a sense of duty and departed for New York two days later.

Washington borrowed $600 to travel from his home in Mount Vernon, Virginia, to New York City for his inauguration (New York City was the nation’s capital at the time).  Washington’s journey from Mount Vernon was much like a parade honoring a national hero.  Every city and town along the way held a celebration.

Inauguration day began with a military salute at Fort George at sunrise.  Then beginning at 9 a.m., church bells throughout New York City rang for half an hour.  At 12:30, Washington left Franklin House for Federal Hall.  A military escort of 500 men, a horse troop, artillery, grenadiers, light infantry, and Scottish Highlanders accompanied him.  The 57-year-old president-elect rode in a cream-colored coach to Federal Hall at Broad and Wall Streets.

After arriving at Federal Hall, Washington went to the Senate chamber and met with the two houses of Congress.  Then at 2 p.m., Washington was brought out onto the balcony outside of the Senate chamber for his inauguration, so “that the greatest number of the people of the United States, and without distinction, may be witnesses to the solemnity.”

There was no Supreme Court or chief justice at the time, so New York’s highest-ranking judge, Chancellor Robert Livingstone, gave the Oath of Office.  Though taking the oath by swearing on a Bible is not required by the constitution, Washington borrowed one from a nearby Masonic Lodge.

Washington took his oath of office with his hand on a Bible, a tradition that has been followed by all but three US presidents.    After he finished his oath, he kissed the Bible and a 13-gun salute followed.  Livingston then announced to the crowd, “Long live George Washington, president of the United States!”

President Washington then delivered his inaugural address in the Senate Chamber, another tradition that he began.  After the ceremony, the president’s carriage couldn’t be found in the sea of spectators jamming Wall Street.  Washington suggested that the vice president and members of Congress walk with him as he traveled seven blocks to a previously arranged church service.  Fireworks, paid for by private citizens, concluded the inaugural celebration that evening.