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{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[His Excellency]]
| honorific-suffix = The ''[[President of the United States|US President]]''
| image = Gilbert Stuart Williamstown Portrait of George Washington.jpg
| caption = Portrait by Gilbert Stuart, 1796
| order = 1st
| office = President of the United States
| vicepresident = John Adams
| term_start = April 30, 1789{{efn|April 6 is when Congress counted the votes of the Electoral College and certified a president. April 30 is when Washington was sworn in.{{sfnm|Ferling|2009|1p=274|Taylor|2016|2pp=395, 494}}}}
| term_end = March 4, 1797
| predecessor = ''Office established''
| successor = [[John Adams]]
| office1 = 7th [[Senior Officer of the United States Army]]
| president1 = John Adams
| term_start1 = July 13, 1798
| term_end1 = December 14, 1799
| predecessor1 = [[James Wilkinson]]
| successor1 = [[Alexander Hamilton]]
| office2 = Commander-in-Chief of the [[Continental Army]]
| appointer2 = [[Continental Congress]]
| term_start2 = June 14, 1775
| term_end2 = December 23, 1783
| predecessor2 = Office established
| successor2 = [[Henry Knox]] as Senior Officer
| office3 = [[List of delegates to the Continental Congress|Delegate to the Continental Congress]] from [[Virginia]]
| term_start3 = May 10, 1775
| term_end3 = June 15, 1775
| constituency3 = {{nowrap|[[Second Continental Congress]]}}
| predecessor3 = Office established
| successor3 = [[Thomas Jefferson]]
| term_start4 = September 5, 1774
| term_end4 = October 26, 1774
| constituency4 = [[First Continental Congress]]
| predecessor4 = Office established
| successor4 = Office abolished
| office5 = Member of the [[House of Burgesses|Virginia House of Burgesses]]
| term_start5 = May 18, 1761
| term_end5 = May 6, 1776
| predecessor5 = Unknown
| successor5 = Office abolished
| constituency5 = [[Fairfax County, Virginia|Fairfax County]]
| term_start6 = July 24, 1758
| term_end6 = May 18, 1761
| predecessor6 = Thomas Swearingen
| successor6 = [[George Mercer (military officer)|George Mercer]]
| constituency6 = [[Frederick County, Virginia|Frederick County]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1732|2|22}}
| birth_place = [[George Washington Birthplace National Monument|Popes Creek]], [[Colony of Virginia]], [[British America]]
| death_date = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|1799|12|14|1732|2|22}}}}
| death_place = [[Mount Vernon]], [[Virginia]], U.S.
| party = [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Martha Washington|Martha Dandridge]]|January 6, 1759}}
| children = [[John Parke Custis|John]] (adopted) Patsy (adopted)
| residence = [[Mount Vernon]]
| parents = [[Augustine Washington]] [[Mary Ball Washington]]
| awards = [[Congressional Gold Medal]] [[Thanks of Congress]]{{sfn|Randall|1997|p=303}}
| signature = George Washington signature.svg
| signature_alt = Cursive signature in ink
| allegiance = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}} {{flagcountry|United States|1777}}
| branch = {{army|United Kingdom|1707}} {{flagicon|United States|1777}} [[Continental Army]] {{army|USA|1777|[[Continental Army]]}}
| serviceyears = 1752–58 (Colonial forces) 1775–83 (Continental Army) 1798–99 (U.S. Army)
| rank = Colonel (Colonial forces) General and Commander-in-Chief (Continental Army) [[File:US-O9 insignia.svg|27px]] [[Lieutenant general (United States)|(United States Army)]] [[File:WashingtonInsig1782.jpg|27px]] General of the Armies (promoted posthumously in 1976 by an Act of Congress)
| commands = Virginia Regiment Continental Army United States Army
| battles = [[French and Indian War]]
* [[Battle of Jumonville Glen]]
* [[Battle of Fort Necessity]]
* [[Braddock Expedition]]
* [[Battle of the Monongahela]]
* [[Forbes Expedition]]
[[American Revolutionary War]]
* [[Boston campaign]]
* [[New York and New Jersey campaign]]
* [[Philadelphia campaign]]
* [[Yorktown campaign]]
* [[Northwest Indian War]]
}}
'''George Washington''' (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was the first [[president of the United States]] from 1789 to 1797. Before he became president, he was the [[commander in chief]] of the Continental Army during the [[American Revolutionary War]], and one of the [[Founding Fathers of the United States]].

== Early life ==
Washington's mother was Mary Washington and his father was Augustine Washington. They owned a farm with slaves in [[Virginia]].

==Before the Revolutionary War==
Washington became a [[farmer]] like his father. His [[farm]] was called [[Mount Vernon]]. He also worked as a [[surveyor]], measuring land. Washington always wanted to be a [[soldier]] and was active in the colonial militia of Virginia. He was sent several times to the "forks of the [[Ohio River]]", now called [[Pittsburgh]]. His job was to get rid of the French who were trying to take control of the [[Ohio River|Ohio River Valley]].

He failed and many of his men were killed. The fight opened the [[French and Indian War]], bringing Britain into the [[Seven Years' War]]. In 1758 he was elected to the Virginia legislature.

In 1759, Washington married a [[widow]] named [[Martha Washington|Martha Custis]]. The marriage produced no children.

== The Revolution ==
{{Other pages|American Revolutionary War}}
[[File:2011 GeorgeWashington OldNorth BostonMA 3156.jpg|left|thumb|Bust of Washington that Lafayette thought his best likeness]]
Washington was a delegate to the [[Continental Congress|First Continental Congress]], which was created by the [[Thirteen Colonies]] to respond to various laws passed by the British government. The [[Second Continental Congress]] chose him to be the commanding general of the [[Continental Army]]. Washington led the army from 1775 until the end of the war in 1783. After losing the big [[Battle of Long Island]], and being chased across [[New Jersey]], Washington led his troops back across the [[Delaware River]] on [[Christmas Day]], 1776, in a surprise attack on [[Hessian (soldier)|Hessian]] [[mercenary|mercenaries]] at the small [[Battle of Princeton]] and [[Trenton, New Jersey]]. The British had more troops and more supplies than Washington, however, Washington kept his troops together and won these small battles.

Overall, Washington did not win many battles, but he never let the British destroy his army. With the help of the [[France|French]] army and [[navy]], Washington made a British army surrender at [[Yorktown, Virginia]], in 1781, as the final major battle of the Revolutionary War. The war officially ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

==After the War==
When the Revolutionary War ended, Washington was considered a national hero. He was offered a government position that would have been considered a dictatorship over the colonies, but in a surprising move, Washington refused, left the army, and returned to [[Mount Vernon]]. He wanted the colonies to have a strong government but did not wish to head that government, nor did he want the colonies to be run by a [[tyrant]].

Washington was one of the men who said the country needed a new constitution. The Constitutional Convention met in 1787, with Washington presiding. The delegates wrote the [[Constitution of the United States]], and all the states ratified it and joined the new government.
[[File:Gilbert Stuart, George Washington (Lansdowne portrait, 1796).jpg|thumb|[[Lansdowne portrait]] of President George Washington]]

==Presidency==
{{Infobox manner of address
| name = George Washington
| image = [[File:Seal of the President of the United States.svg|75px]]
| reference = His Excellency
| spoken = Your Excellency
| alternative = Mr President
}}
In 1789, Washington was elected president without any competition, making him the first [[President of the United States]]. While Washington did not belong to any political party, he agreed with certain [[Federalist Party]] policies, such as the country should have a [[standing army]] and a [[national bank]]. He was re-elected to a second term. After his second term, Washington decided not to run for reelection, despite his popularity remaining high. His decision, to stop at 2 terms, set a precedent that every president followed until [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] in 1940.

In Washington's farewell address in 1796, he warned the country not to divide into [[Political party|political parties]] and not to get involved in wars outside of the United States. Washington's non-intervention foreign policy was supported by most Americans for over one hundred years. His advice to avoid political parties was completely ignored, as parties were already active.
[[File:Washington farmer.jpg|thumb|left |George Washington overseeing slaves during harvest time on his plantation]]

== Retirement ==
Washington went back home to [[Mount Vernon]] (Virginia) after his second term ended in 1797. He died two years later, on December 14, 1799, in Mount Vernon, at the age of 67, from [[epiglottitis]], a [[throat]] infection.

== Wealth ==
From his marriage, George Washington owned a substantial amount of farm land, where he grew tobacco, wheat, and vegetables. Washington also owned more than 100 slaves, who were freed upon his death. He did not have much money in cash and had to borrow money while he was president. At his death, Washington's estate was worth over $500,000.<ref name="shenkman80">{{cite book |author= Richard Shenkman |author2=Kurt Reiger |title= One Night Stands with American History |publisher= Morrow |location=New York |year=1980 |isbn=978-0-688-03573-0 |page=39}}</ref>

== False teeth ==
It is a common misconception that George Washington had wooden teeth, as [[false teeth]].<ref>Associated Press. "George Washington's false teeth not wooden." January 27, 2005. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6875436/#.USNzu1ptUow</ref> He did, however, try many different ways to replace his teeth, including having teeth carved from [[elk]]'s teeth or [[ivory]].<ref name="tooth">Felton, Bruce. ''One of a Kind''. New York: William Morrow and Co., 1992</ref><ref name="tea">Gray, Ralph, ed. ''Small Inventions That Make a Big Difference''. Washington, D.C.: The National Geographic Society, 1984</ref> [[Ivory]] and bone both have hairline fractures in them, which normally cannot be seen, but started to darken due to Washington's use of wine. The darkened, thin fractures in the bone made the lines look like the grain in a piece of wood.<ref>{{cite web |title=Drilling Holes in George Washington's Wooden Teeth Myth |date= 5 November 2014 |url= http://allthingsliberty.com/2014/11/drilling-holes-in-george-washingtons-wooden-teeth-myth/ |accessdate= 2015-03-09}}</ref> George Washington's teeth started falling out when he was about 22 years old, and he had only one tooth left by the time he became president.<ref name="tooth" /><ref name="tea" /> It was difficult for him to talk or to eat. At one time, he had false teeth with a special hole so the one tooth he still had could poke through.<ref name="tooth" /><ref name="tea" /> He tried to keep them smelling clean by soaking them in [[wine]], but instead they became mushy and black.<ref name="tooth" /><ref name="tea" /> In 1796, a dentist had to pull out George Washington's last tooth, and he kept his tooth in a gold [[necklace|locket]] attached to his watch chain.<ref name="tooth" /> When the time came for the president to have his portrait painted, [[cotton]] was pushed under his lips to make him look as if he had teeth.<ref name="tooth" /><ref name="tea" /> The cotton made his mouth puff out, as is seen on the picture on the US $1 bill.<ref name="tea" />

== References ==
{{reflist}}
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

== Other websites ==
* [https://en.citizendium.org/wiki/George_Washington George Washington] -Citizendium

==Books to read==
{{Commons category}}
* Pamela Hill Nettleton and Jeff Yesh. ''George Washington: Farmer, Soldier, President'' (2003) for grades 1-5
* Laurence Santrey. ''George Washington, Young Leader'' (1982) * T. M. Usel. ''George Washington'' (Read & Discover Photo-Illustrated Biographies) (1996)
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gw1.html Washington's White House biography]
* {{cite book| last = Polack| first = Peter| title = Guerrilla Warfare: Kings of Revolution| year = 2018| publisher = Casemate Short History| isbn = 978-1-61200-675-8 }}

{{USPresidents}}
{{Washington cabinet}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, George}}
[[Category:1732 births]]
[[Category:1799 deaths]]
[[Category:American deists]]
[[Category:American esotericists]]
[[Category:American generals]]
[[Category:American revolutionaries]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Virginia]]
[[Category:Chancellors of the College of William & Mary]]
[[Category:Infectious disease deaths in the United States]]
[[Category:Episcopalians]]
[[Category:Founding Fathers of the United States]]
[[Category:Freemasons]]
[[Category:George Washington| ]]
[[Category:Military people from Virginia]]
[[Category:Politicians from Virginia]]
[[Category:18th-century American politicians]]
[[Category:Slavers]]

George Washington - Revision history

Movebot at 04:31, 5 August 2022