US Presidency
1799

Gentlemen of the Senate and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives: The letter herewith transmitted will inform you that it has pleased Divine Providence to remove from this life our excellent fellow citizen, George Washington, by the purity of his character and a long series of services to his country rendered illustrious through the world. It remains for an affectionate and grateful people, in whose hearts he can never die, to pay suitable honors to his memory. JOHN ADAMS. MOUNT VERNON, December 15, 1799. The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. It is with inexpressible grief that I have to announce to you the death of the great and good General Washington. He died last evening between 10 and 11 o'clock, after a short illness of about twenty hours. His disorder was an inflamatory sore throat, which proceeded from a cold of which he made but little complaint on Friday. On Saturday morning about 3 o'clock he became ill. Dr. Craik attended him in the morning, and Dr. Dick, of Alexandria, and Dr.