BySenators Wagoner, Padden, Holy, Hunt, Salomon, McCoy, Mullet, Wellman, Van De Wege, Brown, Walsh, Becker, Schoesler, O'Ban, Wilson, C., Palumbo, Short, Lovelett, Kuderer, Pedersen, Das, Cleveland, Dhingra, Takko, Nguyen, Ericksen, Warnick, Rivers, Hawkins, Zeiger, Liias, and Saldaña

WHEREAS, By an act of Congress, the birthday of President George Washington has been officially observed on the third Monday of February since 1971; and

WHEREAS, The holiday has become known as Presidents' Day, for it also commemorates the birthday of President Abraham Lincoln; and

WHEREAS, George Washington, who was born on February 22, 1732, served as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, was elected the first President of the United States in 1789, and reelected in 1792; and

WHEREAS, The first town to sponsor a public celebration of Washington's Birthday was Richmond, Virginia in 1782, and celebrations became even more popular during Washington's first term in office, and after his death in 1799, Congress passed a resolution calling on the nation to observe the date of his birth; and

WHEREAS, Unofficial celebrations carried on until 1885, when action by Congress made the observance official throughout the nation; and

WHEREAS, Abraham Lincoln, born on February 12, 1809, was elected to the Illinois State Legislature at the age of 25, served in the United States House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849, and gained such esteem while campaigning for the United States Senate in 1858 that he received the nomination for President at the Republican Convention in 1860; and

WHEREAS, Abraham Lincoln's accomplishments in his first term as our nation's 16th President included his Emancipation Proclamation of January 1863, which freed five million slaves; and

WHEREAS, In December 1864, shortly after his reelection, President Lincoln announced his plan for the Reconstruction of the Nation following the Civil War; and

WHEREAS, In January 1865, less than three months before his assassination, President Lincoln signed the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery in the United States, and which led to the Fourteenth Amendment with its guarantee of civil rights; and

WHEREAS, President Lincoln's birthday is still observed as a holiday in several states, while in the state bearing President Washington's name, the Great Emancipator is remembered on Presidents' Day, which also recognizes and honors all those who have come after to serve in the highest office in the United States;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That in celebration of Presidents' Day the Washington State Senate express its gratitude to all persons who have served as President for their many services to our nation.