Journal of Senators Who Have Read Washington's Farewell Address in the Senate Chamber

Title	Journal of Senators Who Have Read Washington's Farewell Address in the Senate Chamber
Artist/Maker	Unidentified
Date	1900
Medium	Leather, Paper
Dimensions	h. 9.13 x w. 7.13 in. (h. 23.2 x w. 18.1 cm)
Credit Line	U.S. Senate Collection
Accession Number	11.00017.001

Object Description
The annual reading of President George Washington's 1796 Farewell Address is a longstanding Senate tradition. It began on February 22, 1862, when Secretary of the Senate John W. Forney read the text aloud to a joint session of Congress to mark the 130th anniversary of Washington's birth. In 1888, the presiding officer of the Senate read the address on Washington's birthday (February 22) to mark the centennial of the ratification of the Constitution. By 1896, the reading of the Farewell Address in legislative session had become an annual tradition. The Senate selects one of its members, alternating parties each year, to read the Farewell Address aloud in the Senate Chamber on a day in mid to late February to commemorate Washington's birthday. At the conclusion of the reading, which typically takes about 45 minutes, the senator writes his or her name and accompanying remarks in this leather-bound book. The first entry is dated February 22, 1900.
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