Presidents’ Day: Who’s on Your Money?

Since today is Presidents’ Day, we’d like to celebrate the work and accomplishments of the 45 men who have served as Commander in Chief. Each of them has left their mark on the United States, but only a select few have left their mark on our currency. Currently, there are six presidents featured on the U.S. currency in circulation and they are:

1. George Washington- The 1st president of the United States has his face featured on both the dollar bill and the quarter. Washington was first put on the dollar bill in 1869, seven years after it was put into circulation. In 1924, Congress decided to put his face on the quarter to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth.
   
2. Thomas Jefferson- Our 3rd president is featured on both the nickel and the less popular two dollar bill. Jefferson’s image has been on the two dollar bill since 1869; failed attempts have been made to increase the bill’s popularity. In 1938, a competition was held for a drawing of Jefferson to be put on the nickel starting in 1943. The winner received $1,000.
   
3. Abraham Lincoln- Our 16th president known as the “Great Emancipator," has his image on both the penny and the five dollar bill. In 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned the penny to celebrate Lincoln’s 100th birthday. Lincoln has appeared on the five dollar bill since 1914.
   
4. Andrew Jackson- Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the U.S., replaced Grover Cleveland on the twenty dollar bill in 1928. However, Jackson will not remain the face of the twenty dollar bill for long. In 2016, the U.S. Treasury announced that Harriet Tubman will replace Jackson on the front of the twenty. However, Jackson will remain on the back along with an image of the White House.
   
5. Ulysses S. Grant- The 18th president and famous Civil War general had his face put on the fifty dollar bill in 1913. Attempts to replace him with Ronald Reagan in 2005 and 2010 were ultimately unsuccessful after the legislation was voted down in Congress.
   
6. Franklin D. Roosevelt- Our 32^nd president had his image put on the dime shortly after his death in 1945, in honor of his work founding the March of Dimes Foundation to fight polio. 

Celebrating Presidents’ Day at Community Financial 
Community Financial hosts an annual Presidents’ Day essay contest for 4th, 5th, and 7th graders at our partnering schools. This year’s question was: “If you were designing a new coin or bill, which U.S. President would you choose to be on it and why?”

Through this essay contest, we hope to encourage students to think about Presidents’ Day and learn how to combine research skills with their creativity. The first place winner will receive $50 and a classroom pizza lunch with our president, Bill Lawton. The second and third place winners will receive $25 each. We look forward to seeing which presidents our participating students think should be on a new bill or coin!