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People
Statesmen
George Washington (1732-1799)
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George Washington (1732-1799) [American Philhellenes] [Franklin Delano Roosevelt]. 1st President of the United States (1789-1797), Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolution, called the Father of The Country.
After the American Revolution broke out at Concord and Lexington, the Congress organized for defense, and, largely through the efforts of John Adams, Washington was named (June 15th, 1775) Commander in Chief of the Continental Forces. Washington made the American Revolution successful not only by his personal military triumphs but also by his skill in directing other operations.
At the war’s end he was the most important man in the country. He retired from the army (at Annapolis, Md., December 23rd, 1783), returned to Mt. Vernon, and in 1784 journeyed to the West to inspect his lands there. Dissatisfied with the weakness of the government, he soon joined the movement intent on reorganizing it.
In 1785 commissioners from Virginia and Maryland met at Mt. Vernon to settle a dispute concerning navigation on the Potomac. This meeting led to the Annapolis Convention (1786) and ultimately to the Constitutional Convention (1787). Washington presided over this last convention and his influence in securing the adoption of the Constitution of the United States is incalculable.
He died on December 14th, 1799, and was buried on his estate.
George Washington (1732-1799)
04-22-2004