Presidents of US - Notable Notes

George Washington

Commissioned Lieutenant Colonel in 1754 (age 22) and fought first skirmishes of French and Indian war.

From 1759 to outbreak of American Revolution, managed his lands at Mount Vernon and served in Virginia House of Burgesses.

In 1774, joined with his neighbors as a volunteer fire fighter. A concept established in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin in 1736.

As delegate to Second Continental Congress in May 1775, was elected Commander in Chief of Continental Army.
On July 3, 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, embarked on war that lasted six years.
In 1781, with aid of French allies, forced the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
Involved in debates which led to Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in 1787.
Upon ratification of new Constitution, Electoral College unanimously elected him President. Only President ever elected unanimously.
Determination of foreign policy became primary Presidential concern and when French Revolution led to major war between France and England, he followed a neutral course until the United States could grow stronger.
Alexander Hamilton served as Secretary of the Treasury and Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State under Washington. Strident disagreements developed between the two cabinet officers and Jefferson joined with Vice-President John Adams in a smear campaign against Hamilton. When the disputes were out in the open, Washington most often sided with Hamilton.
Disappointed by the emergence of two political parties he used his farewell address to urge his countrymen to avoid excessive party spirit and geographical distinctions.
He died of throat infection at Mount Vernon on December 14, 1799, less than three years after his retirement.

Other Facts About Washington:

Did he chop down a cherry tree?

This story was apparently contrived by a man named Mason Weems who, after Washington's death, told the story to demostrate how honest the Father of His Country had been.

He did not have wooden teeth.

He had false teeth but they were not made of wood. His teeth were crafted from hippopotamus ivory, cow's teeth, metal, and even Washigton's own extracted teeth. The workmanship was pretty poor when compared to today's dentures.

He never lived in the White House.

The first President to live in the White House was John Adams and that was only the last few months of his Presidency. Even then it was not finished, especially inside. Abigail Adams, in letters to her friends, complained about lack of proper heat and other amenities. Adams successor, Thomas Jefferson, was not too happy with the building either as can be seen from some of his writings. Later Presidents may have been lucky that the British burned it during the War of 1812 and it had to be rebuilt.

The only children George Washington had were adopted.

Washington did not father any children. He married the widow Martha Custis who had two young children, a son and a daughter, and Washington adopted them. He and Martha also raised two of their grandchildren at Mt. Vernon.

He did not wear a wig.

Even though wigs were fashionable, Washington's hair was his own which he wore long and tied in the back. He powdered his hair in keeping with the custom of that period.

He was not born on February 22.

He was born February 11, 1732. However, in 1752 the American colonies switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. The switch involved shifting dates by 11 and so moved his birthdate to February 22.

He never attended college.

The death of his father required him to devote his time to the plantation but it did not stop his education, only his formal schooling. However, Washington maintained a keen interest in learning and strongly supported education. He helped establish one of the first free schools in America, at Alexandria, Virginia. Also his will provided land to establish a national school for higher education, Washington and Lee University.

Washington was the only founding father to free his slaves.

At the age of 11 Washington inherited ten slaves from his father and probably never gave it a thought because, at that time, owning slaves was very common. However, it is clear from his papers that an attitude against slavery emerged as he grew older even though the number of slaves at Mt. Vernon increased to over 300. Perhaps it was those words in the Declaration of Independence, "...that all Men are created equal,.." or those in the Preamble of the Constitution, "...in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice,..." which made him think about slavery. Whatever it was, he became convinced of the immorality of slave ownership and his will freed his slaves and left funds to provide pensions for them.

He introduced the mule to America.

Washington was a multi-talented man. In addition to military, political, leadership, and administrative achievements, he was a pioneer of advanced agricultural concepts. He introduced terracing of lands on his plantations to reduce erosion, crop rotation to conserve soil viability, and cover crops to minimize top soil loss. He introduced the first mules in the 1780's and they became the mainstay (workhorse?) of American farms until the tractor replaced them. Also, he made important architectual contributions through building features notable at Mt. Vernon, especially the open portico connecting the two main buildings. Prior to this open concept, colonnades such as this had a closed backside to restrict the view from the front to the backyard.

First to sign the Constitution.

Upon arrival as a delegate from Virginia he was chosen presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention. In that capacity he was first to sign and was designated to prepare the letter of transmittal for it's delivery to Congress.

Washington declined offer to be King.

Once the colonies had won independence, many of them -- including some Army officers -- believed that America needed a King and wanted Washington to take the job. Not only did he decline, he opposed the idea and, in 1783, prevented the officers from carrying out a planned military takeover. Later that year, Washington and his officers voluntarily resigned their military positions.