#1 George Washington

#1 George Washington

Life: February 22, 1732-December 14, 1799
Presidential Years: 1789-1797
Vice President: John Adams
The book: His Excellency, George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis (275 pages)
Date finished: December 19, 2012

There’s a lot everyone knows about George Washington. And apparently a lot that people don’t know. To start, his personal correspondence doesn’t exist. That’s not to say there aren’t letters he wrote, but his diary never reflected more than talk of crops and weather and any personal letters to Martha never saw the light of day. He was described as aloof but determined. He came out of retirement twice, first to lead the Continental Congress, then to be president. He didn’t actually want to be president, and he didn’t want to serve a second term, but he felt it was expected of him and that it was the only way to ensure the survival of the republic.

He also thought far ahead of his own life. He knew that how he acted would shape the views of others about him. The book referred to him as a Cincinnatus figure— after the Roman dictator who held onto power not one day longer than was necessary. And he did. He ceremoniously handed in his sword and retired from the army after the war was over. He retired after his second term, even though he still would have won the election (though not unanimously as he did the first two times).
Washington began his career fighting for the British army and led the first expedition into the Alleghenies. He was seemingly invincible, as he never was shot even as those around him lay dying. The American Revolution story is well-known, though perhaps the suffering of the soldiers isn’t. And to his dying day Washington believed he had built a soon-to-be prosperous nation. He also remains the only president to lead the army in battle while in office. It was an uprising in Pittsburgh, but it counts.

Surprisingly, he believed in abolishing slavery, but never acted on it, mostly out of economic interests. He also attempted to forge treaties with Indians, but most were also being bribed by the Spanish or British, so nothing really happened there, either. And he firmly believed that there was a water route from the Potomac west. There wasn’t.

He vowed to one of his critics that he would live into the 19th century, while the critic wouldn’t. The critic died in the 1790s. Washington would have lived into the 19th century, but in December 1799, he did his usual rounds of Mt. Vernon in a sleet storm and came down with the disease that would ultimately kill him.