John Wilkes Booth Day

Governor McDonnell Declares John Wilkes Booth Day in Virginia

     When I was researching information for my book on the early life of John Wilkes Booth, I came across the most unusual things, almost unimaginable to some.  I was both befuddled and bemused on discovering this material, but I found it none the less.  There were three sources: The Daily Kos, The Richmond Times Dispatch, and the Governor’s official web site, representing the State of Virginia as it’s Chief Executive.  Yes Virginia, Governor Bob McDonnell made a proclamation, declaring a John Wilkes Booth Day for our state “In conjunction with his declaration of April as Confederate History Month. 

     The Daily Kos article can still be found on the internet; however, I have been unable to find a longer and more expansive article from The Richmond Times Dispatch, which I found while I was still doing my research.  The Daily Kos article mirrors that which I found in the newspaper and uses some quotes from the Governor on the State of Virginia’s web site.  After several more searches in recent days, I have not been able to find the Governor’s web site anywhere.  It’s seems like the electronic footprint has been erased completely.  And if I were Bob McDonnell, I would have wanted it to disappear too.  The section of the Daily Kos article that states, “McDonnell seemed nonplussed when pressed on whether it was appropriate to honor the murderer of the sixteenth President of the United States on the 145^th anniversary of the crime” and was not included on McDonnell’s official web site but was included in the article in the Richmond Times Dispatch.

     Being a history lover, I have no problem with a Confederate History Month.  I have no problem with Confederate statues or flags and am unafraid of the whole unvarnished truth of my ancestors who fought on both sides during the Civil War.   If it is the will of the people to post signs next to the statues stating that they were slaveholders, so be it.  As a Virginian, I am unafraid of the whole story about anything.  I don’t have a problem with either side in that fight.  My problem is that I was a supporter of Bob McDonnell and I find it a little embarrassing that the Governor was so woefully ignorant about our history.  It was either ignorance of the historical record, or a willful insensitivity towards Virginia citizens that would compel a governor to make such a proclamation, the majority of whom would immediately recognize how politically incorrect it was to do so.  And if John Q. Public was smart enough to recognize that it was a glaring faux pas, why was the man we elected to lead us not smart enough to recognize it before going public with it?

     I met Bob McDonnell at a campaign rally at the Virginia Diner when he was running for Governor.  I was impressed by him then, and I still admire him today.  He eventually had bigger fish to fry with accusations from the left about his leadership and personal ethics—a huge distraction that took him years to become fully exonerated through the court system, well after his term as Governor had ended.  Back then, I left the rally at the restaurant as a new volunteer with about 20-yard signs and 200 door hangers.  I was hopeful that he would win, and he did not disappoint me when he served our great State of Virginia because he reflected the conservative values that I support and cherish.  I just wish someone on his staff had done a better job advising him.  If I had been on his staff, he never would have made such an unlearned declaration because I would have disclosed the complete history of John Wilkes Booth to him, and he would immediately have seen the wisdom in refraining from setting apart a day to honor him.  Enough time has passed and I can see the funny side of the whole thing now.