September 1787 was a momentous month for George Washington and the other delegates of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. After five months of intense debate, drafting, and revisions, the document that would lay the foundations of the U.S. government was ready to be signed. Washington, already an iconic figure for his role as the Continental Army’s commander-in-chief during the Revolutionary War, had presided over the convention.
On September 14, three days before 39 of the 55 delegates added their names to the newly-finished Constitution, George Washington attended a dinner at City Tavern, located just four blocks from Independence Hall, where the delegates had been meeting throughout the summer. Washington was the guest of honor at the event, organized by the volunteer cavalry corps known as the Light Horse of the City of Philadelphia or the “First City Troop.” In the Revolutionary War, this distinguished unit had served under Washington during his famous crossing of the Delaware River in December 1776 and the harsh winter encampment at Valley Forge the following year. They had also fought in battles such as Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Germantown.
Amazingly, an itemized bill from the celebratory City Tavern dinner still exists, having been typed up in the 1950s by historians scrutinizing the troop's records. Gordon Lloyd, a Pepperdine University professor, located the typed version of the bill in the Independence Hall archives. According to the bill, the 55 gentlemen in attendance had an incredibly boozy and probably boisterous night, consuming 54 bottles of Madeira wine, 60 bottles of claret, 22 bottles of porter, 12 bottles of beer, 8 bottles of cider, 8 bottles of whiskey, and 7 large bowls of punch —a total of 45 gallons of alcoholic beverages. The First City Troop also paid for dinner, fruit, relishes, olives, cigars, and candles, along with compensating the tavern for some broken glassware items. The many musicians and servers in attendance were also provided with dinner, claret, Madeira, and punch.
Though this impressive bar tab suggests that each attendee imbibed two bottles of wine, a few shots, and several glasses of beer and punch, George Washington was almost certainly one of the more restrained patrons that night. Though far from a teetotaller, the man who came to be known as “The Father of His Country” had a reputation for self-control and moderation, and would have disapproved of excessive toasting or destruction of the tavern’s property.
A wild night at City Tavern:
- All in all, the First Troop received a bill for 89 pounds, 4 shillings, and 2 pence, which would be well over $15,000 in today’s money. In addition, the musicians commanded a fee of seven pounds and 10 shillings.
- By the time of the celebratory dinner in September 1787, George Washington’s status as the nation’s preeminent Founding Father had been established, and the members of the First Troop would have been confident that he would soon become the first U.S. president.
- The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry or First City Troop is still in active service as a unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Owing to its highly decorated history, it has a degree of self-governance unique in the U.S. military. The First City Troop is also the only U.S. military unit with its own privately funded armory building.
- Despite a close inspection of the Independence Hall archives, Lloyd never found the bill for the celebration that likely took place at City Tavern a few days later, once the framers had finally signed the Constitution. But he suspects that it would have also involved copious amounts of alcohol.
