By early adulthood, he was writing with 'considerable force' and 'precision'. He learned mathematics, trigonometry, and land surveying, and became a talented draftsman and mapmaker. Washington did not have the formal education his elder brothers received at Appleby Grammar School in England, but he did attend the Lower Church School in Hartfield. When Augustine died in 1743, Washington inherited Ferry Farm and ten slaves his older half-brother Lawrence inherited Little Hunting Creek and renamed it Mount Vernon. The family moved to Little Hunting Creek in 1734 before eventually settling in Ferry Farm near Fredericksburg, Virginia. His father was a justice of the peace and a prominent public figure who had four additional children from his first marriage to Jane Butler. He was the first of six children of Augustine and Mary Ball Washington. George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, at Popes Creek in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Washington consistently ranks in both popular and scholarly polls as one of the greatest presidents in American history.įurther information: Washington family and British America Ferry Farm, the Washington family's residence on the Rappahannock River in Stafford County, Virginia, where Washington spent much of his youth In 1976, Washington was posthumously promoted to the rank of General of the Armies, the highest rank in the U.S. He has been memorialized by monuments, a federal holiday, various media depictions, geographical locations including the national capital, the State of Washington, stamps, and currency.

Washington's image is an icon of American culture. His 1796 farewell address became a preeminent statement on republicanism in which he wrote about the importance of national unity and the dangers that regionalism, partisanship, and foreign influence pose to it. He set enduring precedents for the office of president, including republicanism, a peaceful transfer of power, the use of the title ' Mr. During the French Revolution, he proclaimed a policy of neutrality while additionally sanctioning the Jay Treaty. president, Washington implemented a strong, well-financed national government while remaining impartial in a fierce rivalry that emerged between cabinet members Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. He was then twice elected president by the Electoral College unanimously.

Washington played an indispensable role in adopting and ratifying the Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation in 1789.

He resigned his commission in 1783 after the conclusion of the Revolutionary War.

Washington led American forces to a decisive victory over the British in the Revolutionary War, leading the British to sign the Treaty of Paris, which acknowledged the sovereignty and independence of the United States. He was later elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses and was named a delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, which appointed him Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. He subsequently received military training and was assigned command of the Virginia Regiment during the French and Indian War. Washington's first public office, from 1749 to 1750, was as surveyor of Culpeper County in the Colony of Virginia. Washington has thus been called the ' Father of the Nation'. Appointed by the Second Continental Congress as commander of the Continental Army in June 1775, Washington led Patriot forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War and then served as president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, which drafted and ratified the Constitution of the United States and established the American federal government. George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was an American Founding Father, military officer, politician and statesman who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses 7th Senior Officer of the United States ArmyĬommander in Chief of the Continental Armyġ4th Chancellor of the College of William & Maryĭelegate from Virginia to the Continental Congress

The commander in chief