Is Washington the most Winter-coded president in history?

A dumb but definitive ranking

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Dec 19, 2024

Welcome back to the This Day In Esoteric Political History newsletter. Each week, a member of our team (or a friend of the show) gathers together bits of America’s past and attempts to find a throughline that might add a little understanding to our current moment.

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Here’s what happened over the week ahead in American political history…

December 19

1732: Benjamin Franklin first published “Poor Richard’s Almanack” — his book of weather forecast, practical advice, and all sorts of aphorisms about living your best life.

1777: George Washington's Continental Army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
1998: President Bill Clinton is impeached by the United States House of Representatives, becoming the second President of the United States to be impeached.

December 20

1803: The US formally takes over territory acquired from France in the Louisiana Purchase.
1860: South Carolina becomes the first state to attempt to secede from the United States.
1956 : The Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott ended after 381 days.
1983: Ex-President Gerald Ford appeared on the hit soap opera “Dynasty,” playing himself and delivering a six-word line — which most TV critics still went out of their way to pan.

December 21

1620: The Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
1853: German Americans riot in Cincinnati following the arrival of an emissary of Pope Pius IX
1864: Union General William Sherman reaches Savannah, Georgia.
1913 : The New York World published the very first crossword puzzle — originally called a “word cross.” Soon, a bona fide puzzle craze was sweeping the country.

December 22

1807: The Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries, is passed by Congress
1937: The Lincoln Tunnel opens, connecting New Jersey and New York City

2010: President Barack Obama signs a repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy

December 23

1783: George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief and returns to civilian life
1971: At the signing ceremony for the National Cancer Act, President Richard Nixon tells the assembled guests that those with cancer would know “that everything that can be done by the government, everything that can be done by voluntary agencies in this great, powerful, rich country, now will be done.” The War on Cancer was on.

December 24

1826: The Eggnog Riot at the US Military Academy begins
1851: The Library of Congress burns, destroying about two-thirds of its 55,000 volumes, including most of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library
1913: 73 people, 59 of them children, died during a stampede at a gathering in the mining town of Calumet, Michigan
1968: Apollo 8 enters orbit around the moon

December 25

1776: George Washington crosses the Delaware River
1868: President Andrew Johnson grants an unconditional pardon to Confederate veterans
1951: A bomb set by the Klu Klux Klan kills civil rights leaders Harry and Harriette Moore at their home in Mims, Florida
1988: Rumors begin to swirl about Nancy Reagan using astrology to make decisions within the White House. The Reagans downplayed the story, but soon reporters began to dig into their longstanding use of star charts and numbers, dating back to their time in Hollywood
1991: Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as President of the Soviet Union, effectively ending the USSR

In which we take the above collection of events and find themes, throughlines, rabbit holes and more. This week it’s Jody Avirgan’s turn at the typewriter.

There sure is a lot of George Washington in the list above, right? Crossing the Delaware, hunkering down, announcing his retirement…

It occurs to me that Washington might be the most Winter-coded president in U.S. history. Stick with me here.

Close your eyes, picture George Washington doing George Washington things…. It’s cold, right? He’s bundled up, he’s acting kinda moody. I don’t know why, but Washington is Winter.

In fact, here we go, I’m formulating this in real time, but here’s my definitive list of Winter Presidents and Summer Presidents.

WINTER PRESIDENTS

George Washington
John Adams
Abraham Lincoln
Calvin Coolidge (“Silent Cal”)
Herbert Hoover (Depression and depression)
Richard Nixon
Jimmy Carter (controversial, I know, but think of those sweaters!)
George HW Bush

SUMMER PRESIDENTS

Thomas Jefferson (Monticello gardens)
Andrew Jackson
Theodore Roosevelt
FDR (Hyde Park garden party)
LBJ (never not sweating)
Bill Clinton
Ronald Reagan
George W Bush
Barack Obama (pure hooper)

I will not be taking any follow-up questions. The above list is definitive and self-evident. (But for real, would love to hear any other nominations or arguments)

I suppose one reason I have this Summer/Winter idea on my mind is because of a new project I have coming next year, which just got announced.

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