Feb 17, 2020 3 min read

This week we celebrate President’s Day, a combined holiday honoring, in my mind, our two greatest presidents, George Washington, born February 22, 1732, and Abraham Lincoln, born February 12, 1809.

Why I believe these two men are the greatest presidents to serve our nation is not because of any political experience. Yes, political experience has its place – far more governors and members of the Senate become president than House members because senators usually have more political experience than representatives, and governors have experienced running a state, which is good training for running a nation.

Yet, neither Washington nor Lincoln had much political experience when they became president. Washington had spent most of his career as a military officer, the capstone of which was as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolution. Once Washington gave an order it was to be obeyed unquestionably.

Then, as president heading up one branch of the government, he had to deal with two other, often antagonistic branches, the legislative and judicial branches. Actually, make it three other branches because the Senate and House often act independently of each other. Thus, he had to compromise.

In 1860, when Lincoln sought the Republican nomination for president he was by far the least experienced candidate in the field. He had served four terms in the Illinois state legislature and one undistinguished term in Congress. That he was elected was a shock to the other candidates, especially the two favorites, William Seward of New York and Salmon P. Chase of Ohio.

But both Washington and Lincoln possessed what I believe are the keys to political leadership, or, for that matter, all leadership. Judgment, temperament and character.

They knew what they knew, they knew what they didn’t know, they knew who knew the things they didn’t know, and they listened. Washington’s military-planning meetings were freewheeling affairs in which every officer was encouraged to speak his mind, so when Washington did issue his orders, they were often the result of an amalgam of opinions.

In other words, compromise.

For his part, astonishingly, Lincoln asked those two rivals, William Seward and Salmon P. Chase, to serve in his cabinet – Seward as secretary of state, Chase as treasury secretary.

Why would he do this?

Partly because it is smart to keep your friends close and your rivals closer, and Lincoln was very smart. But also because Seward and Chase were experienced politicians. Both had served as governors of their respective states and as U.S. senators. Politically, they knew things Lincoln didn’t know, and he wanted to listen to them so he could learn from them.

Judgment, temperament and character. A salute to the two presidents who had each in abundance.