George Washington, Father of our Country, Public Enemy Number One

If George Washington were alive today, he might face a hefty fine for the late return of library books.

Officials at New York Society Library said one of its ledgers shows that the president racked up 220 years of late fees on two books he borrowed, but never returned.

One of the books was the Law Of Nations, which deals with international relations. The other was a volume of debates from Britain’s House of Commons. They were both due back on November 2, 1789.

In today’s dollars, adjusted for inflation, the fine – accumulated at the rate of a few pennies a day – is estimated at about $300,000.

Other prominent borrowers who used the collection did not appear to have the same problems with returning titles.

The first treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton, the first chief justice, John Jay, and Thomas Jefferson’s vice-president, Aaron Burr, are all listed in the ledger under both borrowing and return dates.

The library told the Guardian that they have no interest in collecting the fine – they’d simply like the books back, if possible.



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