‘Washington’ Is New York’s Honored Guest
Amid the boutiques and trendy eateries of 20th-Century Manhattan, George Washington stepped ashore Sunday to commence a week of events marking the 200th anniversary of his inauguration as President.
Portrayed by a look-alike, Philadelphia actor William Sommerfield, Washington was saluted at South Street Seaport by cannon fire and met by a crowd of more than 3,000, while a marching band played everything from Irving Berlin to Michael Jackson.
Mayor Edward I. Koch was there too. He welcomed “George Washington, reincarnated, back to New York City” and presented him with a framed proclamation.
Sommerfield spoke briefly to the crowd, saying: “I cannot conceal the painful emotion I feel at being called upon to serve as President of the United States.”
He had crossed the choppy harbor from Elizabeth, N. J., in a copy of the small wooden barge Washington used in 1789.
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