Washington & Hamilton at Federal Hall

Today, on the 225th anniversary of George Washington signing of the legislation establishing the Revenue-Marine, the predecessor to the United States Coast Guard, President George Washington and his Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, returned to Federal Hall in New York City, where the act was signed on August 4, 1790. OK, they were not literally Washington and Hamilton. (Alexander Hamilton is buried just a few blocks to the west at Trinity Church in lower Manhattan.) Washington was portrayed by John Lopes and Hamilton by Ian Rose.

The reenactment was part of a commemoration of the United States Coast Guard’s birthday and was organized jointly by the Coast Guard, the National Park Service and the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society.  (Until today, I was not aware of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society.)

Washington and Hamilton discussed conditions in the republic of 1790 and the formation of the Revenue Marine. Hamilton also read his “Letter of Instructions to the Commanding Officers of the Revenue Cutters.”

In addition to the reenactors, Commissioner of Veteran’s Affairs Loree Sutton presented Captain Michael Day with a Mayoral Proclamation denoting Aug. 4 as Coast Guard Day in New York City. Captain Day became the Captain of the Port of New York and New Jersey this July.  Captain Day also spoke and commented that Hamilton’s “Instructions to the Commanding Officers of the Revenue Cutters” still provides guidance to Coast Guard officers to this day.