Statue of George Washington by J. Q. A. Ward, New York City - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

Before he dreamed up the labyrinth of streets and avenues that was to become the District of Columbia, French army engineer Pierre L’Enfant was commissioned to remodel New York’s city hall for use by the federal government under the new Constitution. The resulting building was dubbed “Federal Hall.” This was done in part as an attempt to convince Congress to keep New York as the seat of federal government. (Between the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the ratification of the Constitution in 1788, the Continental Congress had convened in a number of different places for a variety of reasons ending up in New York City during the years 1785-88.)

Thus, Federal Hall became the first “capitol” of the United States of America under the new Constitution. One of the first activities to take place at Federal Hall was the swearing in of George Washington as first president. This occurred on April 30, 1789 on the second floor balcony.

But New York’s stint as the national capital didn’t last long. Within a dozen years after Washington’s first inauguration, the seat of federal government had relocated, first to Philadelphia and then to Washington, D.C. Federal Hall was subsequently torn down.

The building that stands on this site today was completed in 1842 and served as the first Customs House of the United States. (There are a lot of historical “firsts” piled up at this one location!) When Customs relocated to a larger facility in 1862, the building was taken over by the U.S. Treasury Department, an arrangement that lasted until 1920 when the Federal Reserve System was created. It was during these Treasury years (1883 to be precise) that this statue of George Washington was unveiled commemorating the site of his first inauguration. Today the building is part of the National Park Service.

John Quincy Adams Ward was an accomplished and prolific sculptor of the “Gilded Age.” He is credited with over 200 public sculptures (including, by the way, the figures on the pediment of the N.Y. Stock Exchange across the street from Federal Hall!). His 12-foot high bronze statue of Washington stands atop a pedestal designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt (who also designed the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty, as well as several Vanderbilt mansions such as the Biltmore Estate in Ashville and “The Breakers” in Newport etc.).

The stamp was part of a set featuring the various branches of the federal government and in particular commemorates the executive branch. George Washington was the nation’s first chief executive under the new Constitution and his likeness, in the form of the Ward statue, is depicted on the stamp. The stamps were issued in conjunction with the bicentennial of the Constitution of the United States which established these branches of government.

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 16-Apr-1989 Denomination: 25 cents Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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