George Washington

An outline of the life of George Washington

George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was an American politician and soldier who served as the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797 and was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and later presided over the 1787 convention that drafted the United States Constitution. He is popularly considered the driving force behind the nation's establishment and came to be known as the "father of the country," both during his lifetime and to this day.

• 1732: Born into the provincial gentry of Colonial Virginia to a family of wealthy planters.
• 1753: Became a senior officer in the colonial militia during the first stages of the French and Indian War.
• 1775: Commissioned as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolution.
• 1776: Forced the British out of Boston but was defeated and nearly captured when he lost New York City.
• 1776-1777: Defeated the British in two battles (Trenton and Princeton) and retook New Jersey.
• 1777-1781: His strategy enabled Continental forces to capture two major British armies at Saratoga and Yorktown.
• 1783: Resigned as commander-in-chief rather than seize power, proving his commitment to American republicanism.
• 1787: Presided over the Constitutional Convention, which devised a new form of federal government for the United States.
• 1789 & 1792: Unanimously elected president by the Electoral College in the first two national elections.
• 1789: Began appointing federal judges including the supreme court justices.
• 1791: Supported the constitutional amendments known as the Bill of Rights.
• 1792: Signed the Jay Treaty that averted war and facilitated ten years of peaceful trade between the United States and Britain.
• 1794: Commanded a militia force of 13,000 men that suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion.
• 1797: Retired from the presidency, returning to his home and plantation at Mount Vernon.
• 1799: Died at home around 10 p.m. on Saturday, December 14, 1799, aged 67.

Upon his death, Washington was eulogized as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen" by Representative Henry Lee III of Virginia. He was revered in life and in death; scholarly and public polling consistently ranks him among the top three presidents in American history. He has been depicted and remembered in monuments, public works, currency, and other dedications to the present day.

"I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain (what I consider the most enviable of all titles) the character of an honest man."
- George Washington