The Sheriff posts an election notice on the Courthouse door.
The first Tuesday of November is set aside each year as Election Day across the country when voters head to the polls to choose who should serve public office, including president of the United States (or POTUS, one of my favorite terms). On this Election Day, we’re voting for our favorite founding father.
UPDATE: The results are in. Colonial Williamsburg can confirm Thomas Jefferson is the winner of the 2014 Favorite Founding Father election.
It was a close race between Jefferson and George Washington. Patrick Henry placed third while the Marquis de Lafayette finished fourth.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the election!
Will it be George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, or the Marquis de Lafayette-men you can encounter frequently in the Revolutionary City? You decide. Head to our Facebook page by clicking here and cast your vote. We’ll announce the winner Tuesday night at 7 p.m., when polls close in Virginia.
If you need help deciding who to vote for, we put together some interesting facts about each candidate.
Ron Carnegie as George Washington
- Born Feb. 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia
- Began military career in 1753 at the age of 21
- Named Commander-in-Chief of America’s armed forces in 1775
- First president of the United States
- Died Dec. 14, 1799 at Mount Vernon
Bill Barker as Thomas Jefferson
- Born April 13, 1743 at Shadwell, Virginia
- Attended the College of William & Mary
- Wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776
- Second governor of Virginia
- Died July 4, 1826 at Monticello, 50 years after writing the Declaration of Independence
Richard Schumann as Patrick Henry
- Born May 29, 1736 in Hanover County, Virginia
- Gave famous “Give me liberty or give me death!” speech
- First governor of Virginia
- Served in public office for about 30 years
- Died June 6, 1799 at Red Hill Plantation, Virginia
Mark Schneider as the Marquis de Lafayette
- Born Sept. 6, 1757 in France
- Joined America’s fight for freedom at age 19
- Viewed George Washington as a father figure
- Helped secure America’s victory at Yorktown by trapping Lord Cornwallis
- Died May 20, 1834 in Paris, France
Thomas Jefferson was a man ahead of his time. His vision of government was to be forged for the future…his scientific mind was ingenious…his love of architecture still stands. A quiet man with deep thought. So politically valuable yet died a almost penniless.
It comes as no surprise to me that Thomas Jefferson got elected. I wrote a dissertation about him and his contemporaries, researched at the Library of Congress. He was the most contemporary mind, modern, relaxed, educated of all the Founding Fathers. The idealistic idea about the United States is his brainchild. One of the things the world holds most dear about the United States until today.
Huzzah!