Roger Matuz - The Presidents Fact Book

The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.

George Washington, first inaugural address

First president of the United States, 17891797

Full name: George Washington

Born: February 22, 1732, Westmoreland County, Virginia

Died: December 14, 1799, Mount Vernon, Virginia

Burial site: Washington burial vault, Mount Vernon, Virginia

Parents: Augustine and Mary Ball Washington

Spouse: Martha Dandridge Custis (17321802; m. 1759)

Children: John Custis (175481), Martha Custis (175573) (stepchildren)

Religion: Episcopalian

Education: Home-schooled

Occupation: Surveyor, planter, general

Government positions: Virginia House of Burgesses, member; Continental Congress, representative; Constitutional Convention, chairman

Political party: Federalist

Dates as president: April 30, 1789March 4, 1793 (first term); March 4, 1793March 4, 1797 (second term)

Age upon taking office: 57

G eorge Washington is called the father of his country for several reasons. He was an outspoken early proponent of American independence from Great Britain. He commanded the American Continental Army in its long and ultimately successful struggle in the Revolutionary War (1775-83), and after the war, Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention (1787), which established the countrys representative form of government. As the first president of the United States, Washington proved by example that the American system could work by creating a model of how the presidency should function.

The young nations unity was threatened by political differences, and Washington served a second term as president to keep the increasingly divided nation together. During that second term, he avoided a war with Great Britain that could have slowed the nations progress, and when he left office, the peaceful transition to another elected president proved that the American system of government was sound.

Many myths about him suggest that George Washington was a man with almost superhuman virtues, but among the realities, according to some historians, was that he had a quick temper, which they claim led to several questionable decisions as a military leader. Some also say that his dealings with Great Britain as Americas chief executive were often too lenient. His contemporaries also mistook his dignified reserve as a sign of pomposity.

However, these human flaws are balanced by Washingtons positive qualities, which included sound decision-making. He understood the concerns of the American people, and he held firm to his beliefs, both as a general and as president. These qualities led his fellow Virginian, Henry Lee, to remark at the time of the presidents death that George Washington had been first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen. Washington was first in the hearts of other as well. Englands King William IV, the son of Washingtons old adversary, George III, called him the greatest man who ever lived.

Close to the Land

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on his father Augustines farm, Wakefield. Augustine had two sons and a daughter before becoming a widower; his second wife, Mary Ball Washington, gave birth to six more children, including George. The family moved to nearby Ferry Farm in 1738, where Augustine Washington died five years later, when George was eleven.