George Washington
Biography:
George Washington was born in Virginia in 1732. As a young man, he learned the morals, manners, and knowledge necessary to become a Virginia gentleman. He was particularly interested in the military arts and western expansion. At the age of 16, he helped survey Shenandoah lands. At the age of 22, he was commissioned a lieutenant colonel and fought in the first battles of what became the French and Indian War.
After his military service and before the American Revolution, Washington served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and managed his lands around Mount Vernon. As with other planters, Washington felt exploited by increasing British restrictions. As these feelings accelerated, Washington found himself speaking out.
In 1775, Washington attended the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia where he was elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. On July 3, 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, he took command of his ragged troops. After six years, through the elements of surprise and perseverance, Washington and his troops were victorious.
After Cornwallis surrendered in 1781, Washington wanted to return to Mount Vernon. But the new nation required leadership, and Washington was thrust into service. When the Constitution was ratified, the Electoral College unanimously elected him our President.
He served two terms and, feeling old and weary of politics, retired back to the fields of Mount Vernon. There he spent less than three years before he passed away on December 14, 1799.