President’s Day Message from Rep. Cory Maloy: What George Washington and Abraham Lincoln Still Teach Us
President’s Day reminds us of the leadership of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, two of the greatest leaders our country has ever known.
It is about remembering the kind of leadership that built this country and the kind of character that kept it together.
These two men stand at the center of that story for me.
Washington gave us a nation.
Lincoln kept it from breaking apart.
What they handed down was not temporary. It was not theoretical. It was the beginning of what became the greatest country on earth, the United States of America.
We are not an experiment anymore. We are a nation. A strong nation. A proud nation. A country full of people from every walk of life who wake up every day and try to build something better for their families.
And what Washington and Lincoln secured was not just for their time. It was for us. For our children. And for generations we will never meet.
Here are three things I believe their lives still teach us.
Character matters more than talent.
Power must be handled with restraint.
Leadership requires faith, humility, and courage.
Everything else grows out of those.
Washington: Strength Under Control
George Washington did not step into easy circumstances. He led farmers and tradesmen against the most powerful military in the world. Supplies were short. Morale was fragile. The outcome was uncertain.
At Valley Forge, his men were cold and hungry. Some had no shoes. Congress was divided and slow to act. It would have been easy to give in to frustration.
He did not.
He stayed steady. He stayed with his men. He endured the same hardships they did. That kind of leadership builds loyalty.
But what defines Washington for me even more is what he did after the war.
He could have taken power. Many would have supported it. History is full of generals who did exactly that.
Washington resigned and went home.
Later, after two terms as President, he stepped down again. Voluntarily.
He understood something we should never forget. In a republic, power is not the reward. Service is. Leadership means knowing when to lead and when to step aside.
I also believe Washington understood that this nation was under the providence of God. He spoke often of it. He believed liberty required virtue. That self-government required self-control.
That kind of restraint set the tone for every president who followed him.
Lincoln: Courage When the Nation Was Breaking
Abraham Lincoln took office when the country was tearing itself apart. States were leaving the Union. War was coming whether anyone wanted it or not.
He did not inherit peace. He inherited crisis.
Lincoln carried that burden with seriousness. He made decisions that were hard and controversial. He took criticism from every direction. But he never lost sight of the Union or the Constitution.
He believed this nation was worth preserving.
He spoke often of accountability before God. Near the end of the war, in his Second Inaugural Address, he didn’t boast about victory, he instead reminded us that “[we all] read the same Bible and pray to the same God,” and he called for “malice toward none, with charity for all.” His words show humility, not arrogance. He did not claim perfection. He called for healing. He called for charity. He called for rebuilding a nation without bitterness.
That takes strength.
Lincoln reminds us that courage is not loud. It is steady. It shows up day after day when the pressure is intense and the stakes are high.
What That Means for Us
Washington and Lincoln were not flawless men. But they were disciplined. They respected the office more than themselves. They understood they were temporary stewards of something far greater.
Because of leaders like them, and countless others who sacrificed alongside them, we live in a country that is strong, free, and full of opportunity.
The United States did not become exceptional by accident. It became exceptional because people believed in liberty under law. They believed in personal responsibility. They believed that rights come from God, not government. And they believed they would answer for how they used the authority entrusted to them.
That belief shaped their decisions.
It should shape ours.
As I serve in the Utah House today, I think often about the weight those men carried. They did not seek comfort. They sought to preserve what had been entrusted to them.
President’s Day can remind us of that.
Washington gave us the foundation.
Lincoln kept it standing.
Now it is our opportunity and responsibility to be worthy of what they left behind.
— Rep. A. Cory Maloy
Utah House of Representatives
House District 52