Arguably the most important address ever given by a president: George Washington's Farewell Address. Written with the help of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton - and distrubuted to newspapers On This Day in 1796 /1 
Washington - who had been reluctant to serve as president in the first place - was exhausted after nearly eight years in office, and wanted nothing more than to retire, once and for all, to his beloved Mount Vernon /2
In what arguably remains the most important presidential address in history—never actually delivered as a speech but distributed to newspapers—Washington bid the young republic farewell. The president summarized his tenure, and gave some advice that resonates deeply today /3
Washington cautioned Americans to avoid political bickering and advised future leaders to avoid permanent alliances with other nations. The comments reflected, in part, his anger at critics - some of whom felt that the presidents policies betrayed the Constitution
President Washington was also critical of having a miliitary that was too big - he called it a threat to liberty
On This Day, 1881. Eleven weeks after being shot, James Garfield died. He was the 20th president (served just six months) and the second president to be murdered in just 16 years. Here: His death mask
After Garfield's death, the White House was draped in black. Historians think the president could have lived, had his medical care not been so sloppy and unsanitary - which caused a fatal infection. Assassin Charles Guiteau was swiftly convicted and hanged
20 years to the day after Garfield died of an assassin's bullet, another president - also the victim of assassination - was laid to rest. Here: honors for William McKinley in Canton, Ohio. Three presidemts - Lincoln, Garfield, McKiney - were murdered in just 36 years
Like WWR's daily history tweets? You might enjoy these two books on White House and presidential history by Paul Brandus. Book three on the way
