- Wikipedia

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\"General Washington\" redirects here. For other uses, see General Washington (disambiguation) and George Washington (disambiguation).

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George Washington
$\"Head$ Portrait c. 1803

1st President of the United States
In office April 30, 1789 \u2013 March 4, 1797
Vice President	John Adams
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	John Adams
Commander in Chief of the Continental Army
In office June 19, 1775 \u2013 December 23, 1783
Appointed by	Continental Congress
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Henry Knox (as Senior Officer)
Delegate from Virginia to the Continental Congress
In office September 5, 1774 \u2013 June 16, 1775
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Thomas Jefferson
Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses
In office July 24, 1758 \u2013 June 24, 1775
Preceded by	Hugh West
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Constituency	\n Frederick County (1758\u20131765) \n Fairfax County (1765\u20131775) \n
14th Chancellor of the College of William & Mary
In office April 30, 1788 \u2013 December 14, 1799
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Personal details
Born	February 22, 1732^[a] Popes Creek, Colony of Virginia, British America
Died	December 14, 1799(1799-12-14) (aged 67) Mount Vernon, Virginia, U.S.
Resting place	Mount Vernon, Virginia 38\u00b042\u203228.4\u2033N 77\u00b005\u203209.9\u2033W / 38.707889\u00b0N 77.086083\u00b0W / 38.707889; -77.086083
Political party	Independent
Spouse	\n Martha Dandridge Custis \n (m. 1759)
Relatives	Washington family
Occupation	Military officer politician surveyor planter
Awards	\n Congressional Gold Medal \n Thanks of Congress^[1] \n
Signature	$\"Cursive$
Military service
Branch/service	\n Virginia Militia \n Continental Army \n United States Army \n
Years of service	\n 1752\u20131758 (Virginia Militia) \n 1775\u20131783 (Continental Army) \n 1798\u20131799 (U.S. Army) \n
Rank	\n Colonel (1st Virginia Regiment) \n Colonel (Virginia Militia) \n General and Commander in Chief (Continental Army) \n Lieutenant general (U.S. Army) \n General of the Armies (appointed posthumously) \n
Commands	\n Virginia Regiment \n Continental Army \n United States Army \n
Battles/wars	\n See list \n \n \n French and Indian War\n Battle of Jumonville Glen \n Battle of Fort Necessity \n Braddock Expedition \n Battle of the Monongahela \n Forbes Expedition \n American Revolutionary War\n Boston campaign \n New York and New Jersey campaign \n Philadelphia campaign \n Yorktown campaign \n Northwest Indian War \n Whiskey Rebellion \n \n \n

George Washington (February 22, 1732^[a] – December 14, 1799) was a Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot forces to victory in the American Revolutionary War against the British Empire. He is commonly known as the Father of His Country for his role in bringing about American independence.\n

Born in the Colony of Virginia, Washington became the commander of the Virginia Regiment during the French and Indian War (1754\u20131763). He was later elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, and opposed the perceived oppression of the American colonists by the British Crown. When the American Revolutionary War against the British began in 1775, Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. He directed a poorly organized and equipped force against disciplined British troops. Washington and his army achieved an early victory at the Siege of Boston in March 1776 but were forced to retreat from New York City in November. Washington crossed the Delaware River and won the battles of Trenton in late 1776 and Princeton in early 1777, then lost the battles of Brandywine and Germantown later that year. He faced criticism of his command, low troop morale, and a lack of provisions for his forces as the war continued. Ultimately Washington led a combined French and American force to a decisive victory over the British at Yorktown in 1781. In the resulting Treaty of Paris in 1783, the British acknowledged the sovereign independence of the United States. Washington then served as president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, which drafted the current Constitution of the United States.\n

Washington was elected president unanimously by the Electoral College in 1788 and again in 1792. As the first U.S. president, he implemented a strong, well-financed national government while remaining impartial in the fierce rivalry that emerged within his cabinet between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. During the French Revolution, he proclaimed a policy of neutrality while supporting the Jay Treaty with Britain. Washington set enduring precedents for the office of president, including republicanism, a peaceful transfer of power, the use of the title \"Mr. President\", and the two-term tradition. His 1796 farewell address became a preeminent statement on republicanism: Washington wrote about the importance of national unity and the dangers that regionalism, partisanship, and foreign influence pose to it. As a planter of tobacco and wheat at Mount Vernon, Washington owned many slaves. He began opposing slavery near the end of his life, and provided in his will for the manumission of his slaves.\n

Washington's image is an icon of American culture and he has been extensively memorialized; his namesakes include the national capital and the State of Washington. In both popular and scholarly polls, he is consistently considered one of the greatest presidents in American history.\n

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The Washington cabinet
Office	Name	Term

President	George Washington	1789–1797

Vice President	John Adams	1789–1797

Secretary of State	John Jay (acting)	1789–1790
Thomas Jefferson	1790–1793
Edmund Randolph	1794–1795
Timothy Pickering	1795–1797

Secretary of the Treasury	Alexander Hamilton	1789–1795
Oliver Wolcott Jr.	1795–1797

Secretary of War	Henry Knox	1789–1794
Timothy Pickering	1795
James McHenry	1796–1797

Attorney General	Edmund Randolph	1789–1794
William Bradford	1794–1795
Charles Lee	1795–1797

Military offices\n
New office\n	Commander in Chief of the Continental Army 1775\u20131783\n	Succeeded by Henry Knox as Senior Officer \n
Preceded by James Wilkinson \n	Senior Officer of the United States Army 1798\u20131799\n	Succeeded by Alexander Hamilton \n
Political offices\n
Preceded by Hugh West \n	Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses 1758\u20131775\n	Office abolished \n
New office\n	Delegate from Virginia to the Continental Congress 1774\u20131775\n	Succeeded by Thomas Jefferson \n
President of the United States 1789\u20131797\n	Succeeded by John Adams \n
Academic offices\n
Preceded by Richard Terrick \n	Chancellor of the College of William & Mary 1788\u20131799\n	Succeeded by John Tyler \n

v t e George Washington
\n 1st President of the United States (1789\u20131797) \n Senior Officer of the Army (1798\u20131799) \n Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army (1775\u20131783) \n Delegate to the Second Continental Congress (1775) \n Delegate to the First Continental Congress (1774) \n
Military career Revolutionary War	\n Military career \n French and Indian War\n Jumonville Glen \n Battle of Fort Necessity \n Battle of the Monongahela \n Forbes Expedition \n Washington in the American Revolution \n Commander-in-chief, Continental Army \n Aides-de-camp \n Washington's headquarters\n office and sleeping tent \n Boston campaign\n Siege of Boston \n New York and New Jersey campaign\n Delaware River crossing \n Battle of Trenton \n Battle of the Assunpink Creek \n Battle of Princeton \n Philadelphia campaign\n Battle of Brandywine \n Battle of Germantown \n Battle of White Marsh \n Valley Forge \n Battle of Monmouth \n Battles of Saratoga \n Sullivan Expedition \n Yorktown campaign\n Siege of Yorktown \n Culper Spy Ring \n Newburgh Conspiracy\n Newburgh letter \n Asgill Affair \n Evacuation Day \n Resignation as commander-in-chief \n Badge of Military Merit\n Purple Heart \n Washington Before Boston Medal \n Horses\n Nelson \n Blueskin \n
Other U.S. founding events	\n Initiated, co-wrote, 1769 Virginia Association \n Initiated, 1774 Fairfax Resolves \n Continental Association \n Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture \n 1785 Mount Vernon Conference \n Chairman, 1787 Constitutional Convention \n George Washington's political evolution \n
Presidency (timeline)	\n 1788\u201389 United States presidential election \n First inauguration\n inaugural bible \n 1792 presidential election \n Second inauguration\n Reception at Trenton \n Title of \"Mr. President\" \n Cabinet of the United States\n Secretary of State \n Attorney General \n Secretary of the Treasury \n Secretary of War \n Judiciary Act of 1789 \n Oath Administration Act \n Nonintercourse Act \n Whiskey Rebellion\n Militia Acts of 1792 \n Coinage Act of 1792\n United States Mint \n Presidential Succession Act of 1792 \n United States Capitol cornerstone laying \n Proclamation of Neutrality\n Neutrality Act of 1794 \n Jay Treaty \n Pinckney's Treaty \n Slave Trade Act of 1794 \n Residence Act \n Thanksgiving Proclamation \n Farewell Address \n State of the Union Address January 1790 \n December 1790 \n 1791 \n 1792 \n 1793 \n 1794 \n 1795 \n 1796 \n Cabinet \n Federal judicial appointments\n John Rutledge Supreme Court nominations \n
Views and public image	\n Presidential library \n The Washington Papers \n Religious views \n Town Destroyer \n Legacy \n
Life and homes	\n Early life \n Birthplace \n Ferry Farm boyhood home \n Mount Vernon\n Fishery \n Gristmill \n Whiskey distillery \n Woodlawn Plantation \n Longfellow House\u2013Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site \n Ford Mansion, Washington's headquarters \n Hasbrouck House \n First Presidential Mansion \n Second Presidential Mansion \n President's House, Philadelphia \n Germantown White House \n Custis estate \n Washington's relations with the Iroquois Confederacy \n Potomac Company \n James River and Kanawha Canal \n Mountain Road Lottery \n Congressional Gold Medal \n Thanks of Congress \n President General of the Society of the Cincinnati \n Washington College \n Washington and Lee University \n Electoral history of George Washington \n Post-presidency of George Washington \n
Memorials and depictions	\n Washington, D.C. \n Washington state \n Washington Monument \n Mount Rushmore \n Washington's Birthday \n Purple Heart \n The Apotheosis of Washington \n Washington Monument (Boonsboro, Maryland) \n Washington Monument (Baltimore) \n George Washington (Houdon)\n plaster copy \n George Washington (Ceracchi) \n George Washington (Canova) \n George Washington (Greenough) \n George Washington (Trumbull) \n George Washington and the Revolutionary War Door \n Revolutionary War Door \n Washington Crossing the Delaware \n The Passage of the Delaware \n General George Washington at Trenton \n Washington at Verplanck's Point \n General George Washington Resigning His Commission \n Surrender of Lord Cornwallis \n Unfinished portrait \n Lansdowne portrait \n The Washington Family portrait \n Washington at Princeton paintings \n George Washington Taking the Salute at Trenton \n Reception at Trenton painting \n Statues \n Trenton Battle Monument \n Princeton Battle Monument \n Point of View sculpture \n George Washington on Horseback \n Austin statue \n Baltimore statue \n Boston statue \n Mexico City statue \n Morristown statue \n Newark statue \n New York City statue\n Wall Street statue \n Paris statue \n Perth Amboy statue \n Philadelphia statue \n Portland statue \n Trenton statue \n Washington, D.C. statue \n West Point monument \n George Washington University \n Washington University in St. Louis \n Washington Masonic National Memorial \n George Washington Memorial Parkway \n George Washington Bridge \n Washington and Jefferson National Forests \n Washington Square Park\n Arch \n U.S. Postage stamps\n Washington\u2013Franklin Issues \n 1932 bicentennial \n Currency\n Washington quarter \n 50 State Quarters \n D.C. and territories quarters \n America the Beautiful quarters \n American Women quarters \n History Instructing Youth dollar \n Washington dollar \n Lafayette dollar \n Silver bullion coins \n Washington nickel \n Washington half eagle \n 250th Anniversary half dollar \n Mount Rushmore Anniversary coins \n Mount Washington \n Cultural depictions \n George Washington (1984 miniseries \n 1986 sequel) \n A More Perfect Union (1989 film) \n The Crossing (2000 film) \n We Fight to Be Free (2006 film) \n Turn: Washington's Spies (2014\u20132017 series) \n The War that Made America (2006 miniseries) \n Washington (2020 miniseries) \n Hamilton (film) \n
Related	\n Bibliography \n List of articles \n Founders Online \n Founding Fathers of the United States \n Republicanism \n Federalist Party\n Federalist Era \n Virginia dynasty \n Coat of arms \n Cherry-tree anecdote \n River Farm \n Washington's Crossing \n Washington\u2013Rochambeau Revolutionary Route \n 1751 Barbados trip \n Category \n Syng inkstand \n General of the Armies \n Conway Cabal \n American Foxhound \n American Philosophical Society \n American Revolution\n patriots \n Betsy Ross flag \n Mount Vernon Ladies' Association \n Mount Vernon replicas \n George Washington Memorial Building \n Attempted theft of Washington's skull \n
Family	\n Martha Washington (wife) \n John Parke Custis (stepson) \n George Washington Parke Custis (step-grandson, adopted son) \n Eleanor Parke Custis (step-granddaughter, adopted daughter) \n Augustine Washington (father) \n Mary Ball Washington (mother) \n Lawrence Washington (half-brother) \n Augustine Washington Jr. (half-brother) \n Elizabeth Washington Lewis (sister) \n Samuel Washington (brother) \n John A. Washington (brother) \n Charles Washington (brother) \n Lawrence Washington (grandfather) \n Mildred Gale (grandmother) \n John Washington (great-grandfather) \n George Reade (2nd great-grandfather) \n Bushrod Washington (nephew) \n
Slavery	\n Washington and slavery \n List of enslaved people of Mount Vernon \n Betty \n Caroline Branham \n William Costin \n West Ford \n Sarah Johnson \n Oney Judge \n Philip Lee \n William Lee \n Hercules Posey \n Christopher Sheels \n Deborah Squash \n Harry Washington \n
\n John Adams \u2192 \n $\"\"$ Category \n $\"\"$ Outline \n

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Academics	CiNii
Artists	KulturNav Discography of American Historical Recordings FID
People	Netherlands US Congress Trove Deutsche Biographie DDB
Other	IdRef NARA SNAC Te Papa (New Zealand) RISM

Early life (1732\u20131752)

Colonial military career (1752\u20131758)

French and Indian War

Marriage, civilian and political life (1759\u20131775)

Opposition to the British Parliament and Crown

Commander in chief of the army (1775\u20131783)

Siege of Boston

New York and New Jersey

Battle of Long Island

Crossing the Delaware, Trenton, and Princeton

Philadelphia

Brandywine, Germantown, and Saratoga

Valley Forge and Monmouth

Espionage and West Point

Southern theater and Yorktown

Demobilization and resignation

Early republic (1783\u20131789)

Return to Mount Vernon

Constitutional Convention of 1787

First presidential election

Presidency (1789\u20131797)

First term

Second term

Farewell Address

Post-presidency (1797\u20131799)

Retirement

Death

Funeral and burial

Philosophy and views

Slavery

Religious and spiritual views

Personal life

Legacy

Namesakes and monuments

See also

Notes

References

Sources

Books

Journals

External links