National Funeral For President Washington

After George Washington died on Dec. 14, 1799, Congress set Dec. 26 as a day of formal mourning in Philadelphia, the nation's capital from 1790 to 1800. The national funeral took place in Zion Lutheran Church, located at this site from 1766 to 1870, and President John Adams was among those attending. In his funeral oration, congressman Henry Lee gave the famous tribute, “First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States