Biography of George Washington
First American president, Continental Army commander, president of the Constitutional Convention, and more.
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Victorious general of the American Revolution, the first President of the United States, successful planter and entrepreneur. Explore the life and legacies of George Washington.
Little is known of George Washington's childhood, and it remains the most poorly understood part of his life. His early experiences working as a surveyor and in the Virginia company helped shape the man who would become the first President of the United States.
As a young Virginia planter, Washington accepted slavery without apparent concern. But after the Revolutionary War, he began to feel burdened by his personal entanglement with slavery and uneasy about slavery’s effect on the nation.
George Washington's forays into the Ohio country shaped his career and sparked a global war. Learn more about Washington and the French & Indian War.
Martha Washington was the first first lady of the United States and spent about half of the Revolutionary War at the front with General Washington. She helped manage and run her husbands' estates and raised her children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
Despite having little practical experience in managing large, conventional armies, George Washington proved to be a capable and resilient leader of the American military forces during the Revolutionary War.
Unanimously elected twice, President Washington established many crucial precedents and confronted many domestic and foreign policy challenges.
On the evening of December 14, 1799, at Mount Vernon, George Washington passed away of a throat infection after riding through a wet and snowy wintry mix two days earlier.
While a private man when it came to his personal religious beliefs, George Washington worked tirelessly to ensure people of all religions had the right to practice within the United States.
Washington had a complicated relationship with Native Americans. Throughout his life, Washington negotiated with and served alongside native peoples, fought against others, and sought their land for his own prosperity.
Washington studied and implemented improved farming methods throughout his life. In fact, he thought of himself first as a farmer.
Born in the Age of Reason, Washington was a part of a new generation of readers who had access to more information. He built a library that would ultimately consist of more than 1,200 titles.
The first time George Washington ran for public office, he lost. Washington is often remembered as an established statesman, leading a new nation. However, his political career began decades early in the Virginia House of Burgesses.
Freemasonry played a role throughout George Washington's life, joining the Lodge in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1752, through his death, where brothers of Alexandria Lodge performed Masonic rites at his funeral.
Throughout his life, Washington was concerned he would die young like his father. To prevent this, he tried to live a healthy life but still encountered many illnesses.
Although Washington isn't particularly known for his sense of humor, the General's correspondence and the stories of those who knew him prove that our Founding Father surely "relished wit and humour."
Learn about the food traditions of the Washingtons and the enslaved at Mount Vernon.
George Washington personally kept fastidious financial records throughout his life, an impressive feat considering the size of his business enterprise.
Did George Washington really say that? Find out in our quotable database.