Executive Order  No. 497: Establishing the Massachusetts Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

WHEREAS, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, is one of this nation's greatest citizens;

WHEREAS, President Lincoln's courage and leadership were essential to ending one of the most significant conflicts in the country's history, the Civil War, and affirmed the principle outlined in the Declaration of Independence that all persons are created equal;

WHEREAS, President Lincoln's words at Gettysburg declaring that this Nation "shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth" continue to inspire us today;

WHEREAS, February 12, 2009, marks the 200th anniversary of President Lincoln's birth;

WHEREAS, The United States Congress established an Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission to honor President Lincoln's legacy and to educate the American public about his achievements and leadership;

WHEREAS, Many collections, both public and private, of Lincoln memorabilia exist in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;

WHEREAS, Massachusetts is home to some of the world's preeminent scholars and experts on the life and times of Abraham Lincoln;

WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts should appropriately organize its own bicentennial tributes to President Lincoln and coordinate those activities with those of the federal Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Deval L. Patrick, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution, Part 2, c.2, § 1, Art. I, hereby order as follows:

Section 1. There is hereby created the Massachusetts Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, hereinafter referred to as the "Commission." The purpose of the Commission is to organize bicentennial tributes to Abraham Lincoln and to coordinate these activities and tributes with the federal Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

Section 2. The Commission shall include the following members:

a. A chairperson and a vice chair appointed by the Governor;
b. One administrator liaison, appointed by the Governor, to coordinate with the federal Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission;
c. Two members to be selected by the Senate President;
d. Two members to be selected by the Speaker of the House;
e. Two members from the Massachusetts Historical Commission, to be selected by the Secretary of the Commonwealth;
f. The Secretary of Veterans' Services, or his designee;
g. A representative from the Museum of African American History appointed by the Governor;
h. The Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, or her designee;
i. The Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, or his designee;
j. The Chairman of the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, or his designee;
k. The Chairwoman of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, or her designee;
l. The president of the University of Massachusetts, or his designee.

Section 3. The Commission shall have the following responsibilities:

a. To develop a program of activities that fittingly honors Abraham Lincoln on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his birth, including:
i. the development of an educational website,
ii. the creation of an inventory of places associated with Abraham Lincoln throughout the Commonwealth and recommendations on ways to designate, mark, interpret and acknowledge these historic sites;
b. To coordinate activities with the federal Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission; and,
c. To issue a final report of the Commission's activities and proposed activities no later than December 12, 2008.

Section 4. The Commission and its members shall receive no compensation for their work and will seek philanthropic support or federal grants to support their projects and activities.

Section 5. This Executive Order will expire on December 31, 2009.

Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston this 11th day of February in the year of our Lord two thousand and eight and of the Independence of the United States two hundred and thirty-two.

DEVAL L. PATRICK
GOVERNOR
Commonwealth of Massachusetts

WILLIAM FRANCIS GALVIN
Secretary of the Commonwealth