2025 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 472

Commending the American Friends of Lafayette.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 24, 2025

Agreed to by the Senate, January 30, 2025

WHEREAS, the American Friends of Lafayette have worked with the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission and other program partners to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the visit of Major General Gilbert Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, to the United States in 1824–1825; and

WHEREAS, the General Assembly established the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission in 2020 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and the formation of the United States as an independent nation; and

WHEREAS, the American Friends of Lafayette is a historical and patriotic society, which since 1932 has been dedicated to the study of the Marquis de Lafayette, including his distinguished role as a military officer during the American Revolution; and

WHEREAS, in 1824, U.S. President James Monroe invited the Marquis de Lafayette, then the last surviving major general of the Revolutionary War, to return as “a guest of the nation”; and

WHEREAS, the Marquis de Lafayette received a hero's welcome, met with numerous dignitaries and public figures, and was feted in all 24 U.S. states during a period from July 1824 to September 1825, which became known as “Lafayette's Grand Tour”; and

WHEREAS, the Marquis de Lafayette visited numerous sites in Virginia and was received by the General Assembly on January 24, 1825; and

WHEREAS, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of “Lafayette's Grand Tour,” the American Friends of Lafayette have brought history to life for thousands of Americans through reenactments and educational programs, including events in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Fort Monroe, Arlington, Alexandria, Yorktown, Williamsburg, Richmond, Goochland, Orange, Charlottesville, Montpelier, Monticello, Fredericksburg, and Suffolk; and

WHEREAS, the American Friends of Lafayette worked with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Embassy of France in the United States, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and hundreds of other partner organizations to ensure that these historical moments continue to resonate for generations to come; and

WHEREAS, the events commemorating “Lafayette's Grand Tour” would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the American Friends of Lafayette's local program partners and volunteers, who have gone above and beyond to preserve and promote the history and heritage of the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the American Friends of Lafayette for its work with partners around the Commonwealth and the country to raise awareness of the 200th anniversary of the visit of Major General Gilbert Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, to the United States in 1824–1825; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the American Friends of Lafayette as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the organization's efforts to educate the public about the early history of the United States.