Saturday, September 19, 2026

Question: Who actually wrote most of Washington’s Farewell Address?

Answer: Alexander Hamilton. Washington sketched the themes and had James Madison draft a version in 1792, when he first planned to retire after one term. Four years later he turned to Hamilton, who reworked it into the document Philadelphians read in their newspaper on Sept. 19, 1796. Washington edited the final draft himself, down to the punctuation.