Commander of American forces and first president of the USA (1789-97), born in Bridges Creek, VA. His family originated from Washington, near Durham, England, where their Old Hall still stands. He had an informal education, worked as a surveyor, and first fought in the campaigns of the French and Indian War (1754-63). He then managed the family estate at Mount Vernon, VA, becoming active in politics, and represented Virginia in the first (1774) and second (1775) Continental Congresses.
He was given command of the American forces, where he displayed great powers as a strategist and leader of men. Following reverses in the New York area, he retreated through New Jersey, inflicting notable defeats on the enemy at Trenton and Princeton (1777). He suffered defeats at the Brandywine and Germantown, but held his army together through the winter of 1777-8 at Valley Forge.
After the alliance with France (1778), he forced the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781. He then retired to Mount Vernon, and sought to secure a strong government by constitutional means. In 1787 he presided over the Constitutional Convention, and became president, remaining neutral while political parties were formed, but eventually joining the Federalist Party. He retired in 1797.
Taken From: Webster's World Encyclopedia - 1997. Published by Webster Publishing, 1997. Copyright Webster Publishing, and/or contributors.