English for Lawyers II
AMERICAN PRESIDENTS - BIOGRAPHIES

GeorgeWashington

George Washington
( February 22, 1732 - December 14, 1799 )

Life Facts

Personal:
First Lady: Martha Washington, Wife
Wife's Maiden Name: Martha Dandridge Custis
Number of Children: 2
Education Level: No College
Religion: Episcopalian
Profession: Military, Surveyor,Planter
Military Service: General

Public Service:
Dates of Presidency: 4/30/1789 - 3/3/1797
Presidency Number: 1
Number of Terms: 2
Why Presidency Ended: End of 2nd Term
Party:
His Vice President(s): John Adams
Colonial Government: House of Burgesses (1758-1774), Continental Congress (1774-1775)
Other Offices: President of Constitutional Convention

 

 

Presidential Places

Birthplace: George Washington Birthplace National Monument: Popes Creek Plantation
Gravesite: Mount Vernon

 

Did You Know?

 

• George Washington was the only president to be elected unanimously.

• He was the only president inaugurated in two cities: New York and Philadelphia.

• He never lived in DC, although he was interested in the construction of the city and bought property in DC.

• He was an active and able mediator between his cabinet members Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.

•  In 1794, based largely on Alexander Hamilton's advice, Washington summoned the U.S. militia to suppress the Whiskey Insurrection which erupted after Congress imposed taxes on distillers. Concialitory resolutions were agreed to and force was not employed.

•  After her husband's death, Martha Washington burned all letters to retain privacy.

•  At the time Washington was elected, there were 7 states and the population was almost 4 million.

•  "As the sword was the last resort for the preservation of our liberties, so it ought to be the first to be laid aside when those liberties are firmly established."

Key Events in President George Washington's Administration


Precedents ---Washington established two main precedents: a cabinet and the two-year term.
Whiskey Rebellion, 1794 ---Washington ordered 15,000 troops to Pennsylvania and crushed the first challenge to federal authority.

Farewell Address, 1796 ---Washington warned against the evils of political parties and "tangling alliances" abroad.

 

- back to index of biographies - back to introduction -

 

Željko Rišner, B.A.