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Capitol architect wanted to reanimate George Washington’s corpse

By Eric Pfeiffer | The Sideshow – Mon, Jan 30, 2012

"Zombie George Washington" from Etsy.com

George Washington wasn't only America's first president, he was also almost its first zombie. After Washington died from an illness in December 1799, his family nearly accepted an offer from a physician who believed he could bring America's first commander in chief back to life.

The website io9 writes that physician William Thornton is best remembered as the first designer of the U.S. Capitol. But he also proposed reviving George Washington's deceased body using a combination of blankets, an air pump and lamb's blood.

Washington had become ill after traveling through the wet winter rain that year. He finally succumbed to his illness after a painful series of "treatments" that included regular blood drainings, having his stomach drained and drinking mixtures of vinegar, molasses and butter. Washington famously told his doctors before passing, "I die hard, but I am not afraid to go."

However, he was reportedly afraid of being buried alive and asked friends and family to wait three days before holding his funeral.

The strange tale comes from Holly Tucker's book Blood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution, which was released last March.

The morning after his death, Washington's step-granddaughter brought Dr. Thornton to the Mount Vernon. That's when Thornton made the offer to Martha Washington. The plan involved thawing Washington's body which had been placed on ice, rubbing it "vigorously" with blankets, performing a tracheotomy to pump Washington's lungs full of air and then finally an infusion of lamb's blood, which at the time was believed to contain special medicinal properties.

Washington's friends and family reportedly turned down the offer not because they didn't think it could work but because they felt Washington would have wanted to rest in peace.

As it turns out, Thornton had other plans for Washington's body as well. Thornton secretly included a burial vault in his designs for the Capitol and hoped it would be Washington's final resting place. Martha Washington reportedly agreed to the arrangement, only stipulating that she be entombed next to Washington after her own death.

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544 comments

seedman • 3 mths ago
Zombies would go hungry in Washington D.C., due to the lack of brains. In the whole region.
rickyo • 3 mths ago
The treatment he received prior to his demise, was what probably finished him off.
DAVID • 3 mths ago
If he was re-animated and running in the primaries today he wouldn't stand a chance. The attack ads would note his funny wooden teeth, his disregard for the environment in chopping down that cherry tree and breaking the seat belt laws for standing up in that boat while crossing the Potomac. And speaking of crossing the Potomac, he was obviously in favor of row versus wade. Santorum and Paul would probably both out poll him. Very sad.
- Spaceman Spiff! 3 mths ago
  Oh yeah, that thing about owning slaves, that would likely hurt him in modern elections.
- DAVID 3 mths ago
  Not to mention poor treatment of the military by having them sleep outside in the winter time.
- RCLafnJack 3 mths ago
  On the positive side, He was the Largest Whiskey Distiller in Virginia :) That would have gotten him votes..
Mark • Capitol Heights, Maryland • 3 mths ago
In his exit speech from the presidency, Washington urged Americans to avoid political parties as they only divide us up and make real decision making difficult. I truly wish that advice would have been followed because God knows we could use that lesson today.
Laff • Denver, Colorado • 3 mths ago
"...and drinking mixtures of vinegar, molasses and butter." --- If I ever want explosive diarrhea I know exactly where to go.
Number Six • 3 mths ago
Dick Cheney has been brought back from the edge of death so many times that all the zombies got togeather and made him their king.
Will's figment • 3 mths ago
It kinda makes you wonder about how many of our current politicians under went this procedure. It would explain a lot.
- SoCalGal 3 mths ago
  LOL!
- Lung 3 mths ago
  Cheney. Always, thought he was a ghoul!
The Seer • 3 mths ago
Darn. If only he hadn't traveled through that "wet winter rain." (3rd par.) It was quite foolish to not at least wait for a DRY winter rain.
sick of it all • Baltimore, Maryland • 3 mths ago
Well, if you're going to do any human cloning, George Washington would be a great first choice.
- justme 3 mths ago
  I'm still trying to get Obama to go to the Ford's theater
- DancingDogOfDeath 3 mths ago
  John Wayne!
- Yab A Dab A Do 3 mths ago
  Justme: Obama , has agreed to meet you there tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 PM sharp in the alley entrance , be dressed for the occasion in your stripped suit - so your can be easliy spotted by the sharp shooters.What are your wishes for flowers ?
  
  Waa Top E Not - Ojibwa - Chippewa Tribes
Constance B • Kansas City, Missouri • 3 mths ago
the treatments probably killed him faster then the flu did...
SteveG • 3 mths ago
The greatest thing Washington did?
He refused to be President for life and limited himself to 2 terms.
Think about how he influenced the new democracy and how he changed the world.
If some devil offered you: "Here is a New World, You are its Master if you choose" how would you choose? I know I wouldn't have that much restraint or selflessness.
Yet he believed that no man should have that power in a revolution for liberty/equality. Wow.
The issues of freeman vs serf or slave would never have arisen if Washington
hadn't limited the Presidency. We would be no different from any other banana republic
oligarchy or military junta. He rose above his own upbringing and class envy to not just be a miltary leader, but to actually unite the states. Clone him if you can, we need that kinda guy.
kocktoesun • 3 mths ago
we could use him now,he would straighten all this crap out
mark • Denver, Colorado • 3 mths ago
still even now.. dig him back up.. make a better choice the way he is compared to any of the ridiculous candidates we have now on the ballot!!!
Rowell • 3 mths ago
Zombie Washington is not happy with what is going on in D.C.
Zombie Washington SMASH!
- Conan the Philosopher 3 mths ago
  maybe we could try dosing him with some gamma radiation too... ;)
TRUTH • 3 mths ago
I think the cure killed him...
Irene P • Hudson, Florida • 3 mths ago
I read somewhere that people were so afraid of being buried alive they would be buried with a string attached to a bell so if they came to life someone would hear it an rescue them.
- rob 3 mths ago
  The funny part is the bells would ring if the wind blew. So graveyard caretakers would ignore the bells.
- The D 3 mths ago
  Well....that's why they had someone sit near the Grave for two-three days to see if they "RANG" the bell. That way they knew the person was alive. This is true. I've read it before. That's where the term "DEAD RINGER" came into being when someone saw someone that looked JUST like the person that died. He was a DEAD RINGER....for that person.
Charles Martel • 3 mths ago
I'd vote for Zombie Washington today, better than the drones we have now.
themerryprankster • Honolulu, Hawaii • 3 mths ago
Thornton may have been the first to propose "reanimating" a dead President, but Walt Disney was the first to actually succeed in doing this. Ever see the Lincoln exhibit at Disneyland?
Hoodoo • 3 mths ago
I am not impressed with the picture. Washington is not sacred, but this isn't funny in the least. The story could have stood alone without the absurd zombie reference.
harold • Catskill, New York • 3 mths ago
Funny,..George Washington is on the Dollar and Ben Bernanke is trying to bring it back from the dead...

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