Skylar
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- Jul 5, 2014
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Interesting link. What would also be interesting is if someone put together an article on the net worth of potuses before, during and after their presidency.Washington was one of the wealthiest Presidents ever. The equivalent of a billionaire. Yes, he married into itWashington was one of the wealthiest people of his times. He stayed at the best available accommodations where he visited
Actually, I don't believe that Washington was particularly wealthy. He was a life long military man, which did not leave him poor, but it did not make him rich. Mount Vernon came to him through his wife, and he was nearly broke by the time of his death.
That being said, the history of the lodging industry should not be confused with its present day reality. The nature of the industry was that high end accommodations were relatively modest in comparison to the difference between modern day high and low end accommodations. The difference was based primarily on the fundamentals: the quality of food and bedding, and cleanliness. Because of the nature of life in those days, selecting an inn or tavern in a town for the sake of lodging (if multiple options even existed) was largely a crapshoot. There was little information available to allow travelers to make informed decisions. Most of the time selections were made based on necessity and location; if you were traveling along a road you stayed at whatever options were available, because the alternative was to sleep on the side of the road. Ultimately, the profit engine behind inns of the day was either their food and drink offerings and as social hubs for their community (in an urban location), or their location along roadways in rural locations.
A historic tavern, such as Mann's Tavern, pictured above, was an establishment that offered a combination of food and drink, and possibly lodging as well. Mann's Tavern was indeed a more upscale establishment of its time, which is why it won Washington's favor and became his tavern of choice any time he returned to Annapolis, MD. Frequent travelers such as Washington sometimes kept notes in their journals about the quality of inns they had visited. In one case Washington wrote that "It being contrary to law, and disagreeable to the people of this State [Connecticut] to travel on the Sabbath day—and my horses, after passing through such intolerable roads, wanting rest, I stayed at Perkins' tavern (which, by the bye, is not a good one) all day — and a meeting house being within a few rods of the door, I attended morning and evening service, and heard very lame discourses from a Mr. Pond."
If you ever visit any of the "George Washington slept here" historic sites they tend to be small inns or local homes. While not at the level of the Ritz, they were the best accomodations of the time.
Low end accomodations of the time were sleeping in someones barn
List of United States Presidents by net worth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
At the time of his death, Washington’s land, slaves, house, horses and personal belongings were worth about $525,000, estimated to be the equivalent of $1 billion today
For example, JFK was very wealthy prior to election, and was FDR, but obviously they didn't take it with them. Slick was not rich when elected, nor when he initially left the WH, but he cashed in after. Jefferson, if memory serves, nearly impoverished himself as potus, and never fully recovered ... though he did get a fetching slave concumbine. (-: Reagan never sought financial gain for public service.
The Kennedy Family was certainly wealthy. But When JFK ran for president, both his parents were still alive. It was the Kennedy parents that made a large portion of that fortune. A fortune they would presumably control until their deaths. Which followed their son's by half a decade or so.