Founders and Guardians - George Washington

“Truth will ultimately prevail where pains is [sic] taken to bring it to light.”

George Washington was born on Friday, February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Details regarding his childhood are limited.  As a child, he lived at several of the properties owned by his family, one of which was Mount Vernon. His formal education was brief, but he read extensively and engaged in self-directed learning throughout his life. Following his father’s death when George was 11, his older half-brother, Lawrence, assumed a major role in his life.

At age 17, Washington became a surveyor in Culpeper County, VA, where he developed an appreciation for the land and the westward development of the American Colonies.  In 1752, he began his military career as an officer in the Virginia Militia. His service during the French & Indian War provided military experience and an awareness of the changing political climate in the American Colonies.

George’s marriage to Martha Dandridge Custis in 1759 was a loving and supportive union that lasted 41 years. He was an active source of guidance and support for Martha’s two children. In 1761, the Washingtons inherited Mount Vernon. They managed and improved their 18th century estate, making it their permanent home along the Potomac River.

As tensions between Great Britain and the American Colonies grew between 1765 and 1775, Washington, who served in the Virginia House of Burgesses, was a respected voice of reason and calm. In June of 1775, following the April 19, 1775 battles at Lexington and Concord, Congress named Washington Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. From that point through to the end of the war, he maintained an all but constant presence with the army.

During the winter of 1777-78, Washington was the central figure in the transformation of the.  army from civilian volunteers to soldiers.  Valley Forge is considered by many to be the birthplace of the modern United States Army.  Even though the Continental Army suffered more losses than victories, American independence was ultimately secured.  Following the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, Washington resigned his commission. He returned to civilian life at Mount Vernon, surrendering all power and authority.

The Constitutional Convention opened in Philadelphia in May of 1787, and it ended on September 17, 1787.  Washington, a delegate from Virginia, was elected president of that convention. In June of 1788, the Constitution was ratified as the new framework of government for the United States of America. Following his unanimous election by the Electoral College, Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States, in New York City, on April 30, 1789. He was unanimously re-elected in 1792. He remains the only president unanimously elected by the Electoral College.

As the first president, Washington, breathed life into the executive branch of the new government. He established precedents where none existed. Most notably, he established the president’s cabinet, executive privilege to protect sensitive information, various social and diplomatic roles of the president, the peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next, and the simple title “Mr. President.”  By refusing a third term, he established an informal limit that continued until the 1940 and 1944 re-elections of Franklin Roosevelt to a third and fourth term. In 1951, the Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution formalized Washington’s two-term limit.

Throughout his many years of service, Washington did not blur the lines between his public life and his personal life.  As a result, he avoided potential abuses of the powers entrusted to him.  He had made himself accessible when his country called on him, and when his service was over, he relinquished all power and returned to the quiet life of a farmer at Mount Vernon. The Roman leader Cincinnatus (c. 519 – c. 430 BC) demonstrated that same model. Because of the similarities in their commitment to service followed by a peaceful surrendering of power, Washington is often referred to as the “American Cincinnatus.”

On December 14, 1799, Washington died of complications from a throat infection.  He is buried at Mount Vernon.  Although many eulogies were offered, what may well be the most memorable was shared on December 26, 1799 in Philadelphia. It was offered by Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee, a member of Congress who had served with Washington during the Revolutionary War. Lee summed up the enduring relationship between George Washington and his fellow countrypersons when he declared that he was “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” 

Picture Caption:

The story of young George admitting that he had chopped down one of his father’s prize cherry trees is a myth from Mason Locke Weems’ biography, The Life of Washington (5th Edition, published in 1806). Weems created the myth to illustrate how Washington’s personal virtues of honesty and integrity impacted his accomplishments as both a general and a president.  Weems sought to make those virtues part of the enduring role model set by the “Father of His Country.”