George Washington

By Anna KUDOVBENKO

George Washington, the first President of the United States was a man of integrity and was highly honored in the country for his deep sense of duty and patriotism. Being strongly against discrimination or nepotism, he disliked taking undue advantage of his power. He has always stood as an example of republican virtue in America. George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 in Virginia to Augustine Washington and Mary Ball Washington. An Episcopalian by religion, he was the first mason to serve as a President. In 1759, Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis and became the father of two children. In 1775, George Washington became the commander-in-chief of the American Revolutionary Forces. He commanded the Continental Army and brought it to victory winning independence for the United States of America. He became the only President to be elected unanimously, having received all the 69 electoral votes. Interestingly, he was not a member of any political party. Rather, he disliked the idea of political parties. On April 30, 1789, George Washington took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. He gave his inaugural speech before the members of both houses of Congress. His speech was about 2,000 words long. He began his second term of Presidency with an inaugural address of just about 135 words. George Washington was one of two Presidents who signed the U.S. Constitution. Willing to be a public servant he preferred being called Mr. President rather than any of the glamorous names that he was offered. He refused to accept the salary he was eligible for, as a President. In 1793, he announced the Proclamation of Neutrality, as a step towards avoiding foreign conflicts. By means of the Jay Treaty in 1795, he started a decade of peace with Britain. He died on December 14, 1799 in Mount Vernon, Virginia at the age of 67.
On the right: George Washington as a colonel of the Virginia militia, 1772

Interesting Facts George Washington was 6 feet, 2inches tall and weighed 200 pounds. He wore shoes of size 13. When young he wore his red hair tied in a line.

He did not attend any college. His father and elder brother taught George at home. His favorite dishes included cream of peanut soup and string beans with mushrooms. He loved ice cream. He had ice cream coolers installed in his house. He helped plan the new capital city, which was given his name. But he never lived in that city. He used to commute by a boat from Mount Vernon to Washington D.C. Fox hunting and fishing were Washington's favorite sports. His grandson reported that George Washington once threw a piece of slate across the 250 feet wide river Rappahanock. Looking at the sequence of events in his life, Washington seems to have had a strange connection with 'Friday'! He was born on a Friday. He was commissioned lieutenant colonel in the military on a Friday. It was on a Friday that he laid the foundation stone of White House. He was elected President of the Constitutional convention on a Friday and completed his Presidential term too, on a Friday! Today Washington's image is a National symbol for the United States. His picture appeared on a dollar note (see the picture on the right). He was the first President to come on a postage stamp. His bust has been carved in Mount Rushmore. The state of Washington, which has his name, is the only state to be named after an American. Below: General George Washington is crossing the Delaware River