George Washington

Washington, George (1732–99), first president of the United States. As a soldier, Washington led the Continental Army in the revolution to win American independence from Britain. As one of the founders of the new republic, he headed the Constitutional Convention. He was president during the most crucial years of his country's formation as a new nation. Washington's reputation for honesty, his strength of character, and his qualities as a leader won him the admiration of all Americans and a permanent place in history as “the Father of Our Country.”

Early life

Washington spent his first 11 years on the family estate near Fredericksburg, Va. In 1743, after his father's death, George moved to Mount Vernon, home of his half-brother, Lawrence. Educated at home, Washington became interested in land management and surveying. At age 16 he went on an important surveying expedition of the Shenandoah Valley. The next year he was appointed surveyor of Culpeper Co. After Lawrence's death in 1752, Washington managed Mount Vernon, inheriting the estate in 1760.

In 1753 Virginia's Governor Dinwiddie sent Washington on military missions against the French. When the French and Indian War broke out in 1754, Washington served the British side with distinction. At age 23 he was appointed commander in chief of Virginia's colonial troops.

In 1758 Washington returned home and resigned from the military. In Jan. 1759 he married Martha Dandridge Custis, a widow with two children, and settled down to run Mount Vernon. He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and as justice of the peace. Although he did not support calls for independence at first, he came to oppose severe measures imposed by Britain and became a representative to the First Continental Congress. On June 15, 1775, he was elected commander in chief of the Continental Army.

The American Revolution

When the war for independence began, the forces under Washington's command were poorly trained and armed. In spite of the odds against him, Washington proved to be an able commander and was a constant source of inspiration to his troops. Alliances with France (1778) and Spain (1779) greatly relieved America's position, and the decisive victory against Britain came in Oct. 1781 when Washington and the French joined to defeat General Cornwallis at Yorktown. In Dec. 1783 Washington bid his troops an emotional farewell and went back to Mount Vernon.

A new nation

In 1787 Washington chaired the Constitutional Convention, at which the nation's leaders sought a way to strengthen the weak confederation of states. Under the new constitution, members of the first Electoral College voted Washington president in Feb. 1789.

President

Washington was determined to establish a strong central government. His first administration established a federal judiciary (1789), a national bank (1791), and far-reaching measures by which the national government assumed responsibility for state debts and imposed wide-ranging taxes. In fact, his government assumed responsibilities far greater than some of the nation's founders had intended; the split that developed led to the formation of the first national political parties. Washington reluctantly accepted a second term in 1792. Determined to keep the United States free of foreign influence, he declared it neutral in France's war with Britain and its allies. In spite of this, Washington's second term was largely devoted to foreign affairs, particularly the strained U.S. relations with Britain, France, and Spain. He also had to prove the federal government's power to enforce its laws by putting down the Whiskey Rebellion (1794) against a federal excise tax.

Retirement

Washington refused to accept a third term. He retired to Mount Vernon in Apr. 1797 and died there on Dec. 14, 1799.

See also: Revolutionary War in America.