To remember George Washington’s birthday, here are fun facts that you may not know about America’s first president:
1. George was closest to his half-brother Lawrence
George Washington was born February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland Virginia, the oldest of six children born to Augustine and Mary Ball Washington, although he had four older half-siblings from his father’s first marriage. He was particularly close with his older brother, Lawrence, whom he looked up to and modeled his future aspirations upon.
2. George drafted a manual for manners at 14 years old
Already conscientious and hyper-aware of how he presented himself, George compiled and edited a manual called The Rules of Civility with over a hundred rules for etiquette and social interaction when he was a teenager.
He likely reconsidered some of these positions as an older man, but he carefully curated his image the rest of his life. The Library of Congress now holds the journal with Washington’s original version of the Rules.
3. George's first career was as a surveyor
George looked to Lawrence and Lawrence’s father-in-law, Lord Fairfax, as mentors. As a teenager and young adult, George received less formal education than his half-siblings due to his father’s death, and pursued more vocational training, focusing on math and mapmaking, eventually receiving a surveyor’s license from The College of William & Mary.
Washington’s first career as a surveyor began in 1749 as official surveyor for Culpeper County, VA. His survey career is perhaps most famously associated with a map of Alexandria, now known as Old Town, which he did not survey himself, but he did draw the map.
4. George inherited Mount Vernon from his sister-in-law
In 1751 George accompanied Lawrence to Barbados, hoping to ease the latter’s rapidly deteriorating tuberculosis. George suffered, but recovered from, a bout of smallpox on the trip, and Lawrence passed away from the disease a year later on the island. After Lawrence’s death, George began renting Mount Vernon from his sister-in-law. He inherited it fully when she died in 1761.
5. George helped spark French and Indian war
Virginia Royal Governor Dinwiddie twice sent George Washington into the wilds of Ohio Territory, in the area of modern day Pittsburgh. On the second mission, newly promoted Lt. Col. Washington was sent with troops to enforce British ownership of the territory.
On this ill-fated assignment Washington found himself outmanned and undersupplied at Fort Necessity. Washington was forced to surrender to the French; his only surrender to the enemy in a long military career.
French forces took Washington’s incursion into Ohio Territory as the beginning of real aggression between the French and British over the territory. This sparked a worldwide war between the two colonial powers. Here in the colonies, the conflict manifested as the French and Indian War and Washington saw an opportunity to become a leader in the British army when they arrived in Virginia in 1755.
However, he was denied a commission because he was a colonist. This rejection sparked a flickering resentment against his British brethren and imposition of taxes following the war fanned the flames of revolution.
6. George had no children of his own
In January 1759, Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, a wealthy widow and society woman a year older than him. Martha had two surviving children from her first marriage, John Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis. With the marriage, the Washingtons became one of the wealthiest couples in Virginia.
Washington’s step-daughter Martha Parke Custis suffered from epilepsy and died suddenly in 1773 during a seizure. John Parke Custis passed away in 1781 in Yorktown Virginia, of “camp fever” contracted during the war. After John’s death, the Washington’s raised their two youngest grandchildren, Eleanor and George, at Mount Vernon. George became very close to both grandchildren, who are usually the children featured in paintings of George Washington.
7. George turned down the kingship
From March 1781 to 1783, Washington served as Commander in Chief of the military, undoubtedly the most powerful and popular individual in the new United States. He was in a perfect position to consolidate his own power and become a military dictator, which many Americans speculated would happen at the end of the war. Instead, Washington resigned his military commission at the Maryland State House on December 23rd, 1783, returning full power over the army to Congress.
The sword seen at the National Museum of American History featured symbolically in his resignation ceremony, harkening back to the resignation of General Cincinnatus in Ancient Rome - and symbolically returning power back to the people - the very embodiment of the idea of democracy. Instantly an iconic moment for the new nation and Washington himself, the resignation is a featured painting in the Rotunda at the United States Capitol. Despite his stated intentions, his retirement proved to be short lived.
8. George kept discussions during the Constitutional Convention a secret
Initially meeting in Philadelphia with the intention of fixing the weak Articles of Confederation, the delegates at the Constitutional Convention found themselves faced with a daunting task. The delegates unanimously elected Washington as the president of the convention. Washington encouraged secrecy during the convention and locked his papers in a special box overnight.
9. George unanimously elected as the First US President
Unanimously elected in 1788, Washington was the first president inaugurated in April 1789 in the temporary capital of New York City. As president, Washington continued to act as commander in chief of the army, and appeared at official events in his military uniform. Still fastidious about his appearance, Washington personally favored the combination of off-white and dark blue for uniforms, which the army kept as official uniform colors until after the Civil War.
10. George died of a throat infection
After two terms as president, Washington opted again to step away from executive power and the military, and retired to Mount Vernon in March 1797. Although he initially looked forward to seeing the turn of the 19th century, Washington developed a throat infection on December 12th, 1799. He passed away the night of December 14th, with Martha and several friends present. The armchair, on display at the National Museum of American History, was kept in Washington’s kept private rooms. Although he did not die in this chair, historians know he used it during the brief final illness leading to his death.
11. George became honored as a godlike figure 100 years after his death
After his death, Washington’s prestige only grew. His step-grandchildren became careful curators and champions of his image through the early 19th century and patriotic art increasingly portrayed Washington as an aspirational personification of American values, or even a godlike figure. As the tension between slave and free states rose to a crescendo leading up to the Civil War, fondness for Washington as folk hero became one of the few things North and South agreed on, inspiring Congress to commission a massive marble statue of Washington as Cincinnatus for display in the rotunda in commemoration of Washington's 100th birthday. Unfortunately, Congress ended up with far more of Washington than they wanted.
Curious to learn more about George Washington?
For a closer look at these artifacts and many more relating to the father of our country, George Washington, spend a day in DC with us. The Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art, and the National Museum of American History are all part of our daily tours at Unscripted.
With millions of items held by the many area museums it can be a daunting task to determine what to see while you’re in town. Our itineraries ensure that you will see the most iconic items along with the stories of what makes these items so special. And with small groups, our guides can answer questions and share the local knowledge to make your trip as unique as you.
Comments