General George Washington
Political Experience
President of the United States of America
April 30, 1789-March 4, 1797
- Unanimously elected, twice
- Shaped the role of this new position
- Supported the Bill of Rights
- Established the cabinet
- Led troops to stop the Whiskey Rebellion
- Established the dollar as the nation’s official currency
- Created the First Bank of the United States
- Formed the United States Navy
- Oversaw treaties with other nations
- Added five states to the union
Presided Over the Constitutional Convention
May 14, 1787-September 17, 1787
- Delegate from Virginia, elected president of the convention
- Created an atmosphere of compromise
- Supervised the creation of the United States Constitution
Virginia House of Burgesses
1758-1776
- First represented Frederick County and then Fairfax County
- Assigned to the Committee on Propositions and Grievances and the Religion Committee
Military Experience
Commander of the Continental Army
June 14, 1775-December 23, 1783
- Learned to command a large army in the field
- Crossed the Delaware River in December, twice
- Created a smallpox inoculation program for soldiers
- Defeated the British
- Surrendered military commission to Congress
Virginia Regiment
1753-1758
- Delivered a message to the French at Fort LeBoeuf
- Learned when to fight another day and when to surrender
- Promoted to commander of all Virginia forces
- Volunteered as an aid to General Edward Braddock
- Survived battle, had two horses shot out from under me and four bullet holes in my coat
Business Experience
Farmer
1754-Present
- Managed a plantation of 7,600 acres with more than 300 enslaved workers
- Studied and implemented improved farming methods
- Supervised three fisheries that harvested hundreds of pounds of fish a year
- Owned a gristmill that produced up to 8,000 pounds of flour and cornmeal a day
- Established a distillery that produced nearly 11,000 gallons of whiskey in one year
- Implemented a crop rotation system
Surveyor
1747-1752
- Documented uncharted territory
Education
Self-taught
Special Skills
Author
- Published an account of my journey to the Ohio Valley
- Pen pal with many around the world
Designer
- Developed a new style of treading barn
- Picked the site and plan of the Federal City
- Planned the expansion of the Mount Vernon Mansion
- Constructed military forts
Horsemanship
- Skilled at riding during a number of situations including battle
- Breaks own horses
- Avid foxhunter
Breeder
- Promoted the breeding and use of mules
- Developed the American Foxhound
Dancing
- Accomplished in a variety of dances
References
Marquis de Lafayette
“I assure you that in retirement General Washington is even greater than he was during the Revolution. His simplicity is truly sublime, and he is as completely involved with all the details of his lands and house…”1
Alexander Hamilton
“America owes a great deal to General Washington…By his own good sense and fortitude he turned the fate of the day. Other officers have great merit in performing their parts well; but he directed the whole with the skill of a Master workman…”2
Thomas Jefferson (Do not contact)
“…our first and greatest revolutionary character, whose pre-eminent services had entitled him to the first place in his country’s love, and destined for him the fairest page in the volume of faithful history…”3
George Washington's Life
Learn moreNotes
- Marquis de Lafayette to Adrienne de Lafayette, August 20, 1784, reference in footnote 2 in a letter from Lafayette to George Washington from August 10, 1784, The Papers of George Washington, Volume 2, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/04-02-02-0030.
- Alexander Hamilton to Elias Boudinot, July 5, 1778, The Papers of Alexander Hamilton, Volume 1, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-01-02-0499.
- Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 33, https://jeffersonpapers.princeton.edu/selected-documents/first-inaugura…