Photo by Dan Chung

resident Joseph Biden, accompanied by First Lady Jill Biden, visited Mount Vernon on January 30 to address the National Governors Association (NGA). Marine One landed on the 12-acre snow-dusted field overlooking the Mansion. George Washington’s iconic Mansion was illuminated for the occasion.

Greeting the president and first lady were Margaret Nichols, Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, and Douglas Bradburn, Mount Vernon’s president and CEO, as well as Asa Hutchinson, governor of Arkansas and NGA chair, and Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey and NGA vice-chair. Thirty-six governors and their spouses were in attendance, representing the nation’s states, commonwealths, and territories. Distinguished guests included philanthropist David Rubenstein and William Clay Ford, Jr., executive chair of the Ford Motor Company.

The Bidens examined displays of original Washington objects, including Washington’s smallsword, which he wore upon resigning his military commission to the Continental Congress in 1783; Martha Washington’s diamond pocket watch, ordered from London; and the original dove of peace weathervane. President Biden showed particular interest in Washington’s personal copy of the First Acts of Congress and the notations the first president made in interpreting the new roles and responsibilities of the various branches of government.

The president delivered remarks in the Smith Theater. He reflected on the significance of meeting at the home of George Washington and the ideas set forth by the nation’s founders to create a more perfect union. He emphasized that the United States was built on “the idea of liberty and opportunity for all. We’ve never fully realized that aspiration of our founding, but every generation has opened the door a little wider … to include those who have been excluded before. It’s a mission handed down generation to generation, the work of perfecting our union.”

President Biden ended his remarks to great applause and returned to Marine One en route to the White House.