6

Washington D.C. was chosen as the capital and named while the first president was still alive.

According to Wikipedia,

A new federal city was then constructed on the north bank of the Potomac, to the east of Georgetown. On September 9, 1791, the three commissioners overseeing the capital's construction named the city in honor of President Washington.

This happened while George Washington was in his first term of office. (April 30th, 1789 through March 4th, 1793)

What did he say about that honor of having a national capital named after him?

Please provide quotes from original sources if you can.

1
  • 3
    Well, considering he appointed the commissioners who made the decision...
    – Semaphore
    Dec 15, 2017 at 16:28

1 Answer 1

7

It seems he did not say anything on the naming so no quotes unfortunately. But as president Washington was authorized to pick a location and name for the capital city. That he didn't do anything to change the name shows he approved of it being named after him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Washington,_D.C.

Pursuant to the Residence Act, President Washington appointed three commissioners (Thomas Johnson, Daniel Carroll, and David Stuart) in 1791 to supervise the planning, design and acquisition of property in the federal district and capital city.[18] In September 1791, the three commissioners agreed to name the federal district as "The Territory of Columbia," and the federal city as the "City of Washington."[23][24]

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.