August 1, 2019
Occasionally I have written blogs about unique presidents of our country. We have had so far 45 presidents (Cleveland is counted twice). I have written about four of them: Grover Cleveland, Andrew Johnson and William Henry Harrison. Today I am writing about George Washington because he holds the unique title of “The First President of the United States of America.” If there was ever a man who deserves the description, “bigger than life,” it was he. He deserves the right to be called,”The Father of Our Country.”
He was born February 22, 1732 at Pope’s Creek, Virginia. He died at age 67 December 14, 1799 at Mount Vernon, Virginia. In 1759 he married Martha Dandridge Custis Washington. They had no children of their own, but reared two from her previous marriage. He was General of the Continental Army, 1775-1783, and the first president of the United States, 1789-1797.
George Washington served in the Virginia House of Burgesses for fifteen years until 1775, before the American Revolution. Meeting in Williamsburg, Washington learned politics from his peers, which included many famous American patriots. He had served in the Virginia militia from 1753-1758, and distinguished himself as an officer during the French and Indian wars. He became a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774. He was appointed commander of the Continental Army in 1775.
Washington assumed command of the colonial forces outside Boston on July 3, 1775. The Continental Army was less than a month old. His first job was to put together one army from numerous state militias. The years of war that followed were characterized by a general lack of organization, shortages of supplies, fatigue, sickness, and lack of confidence in the American leadership. The army was undermanned, underfunded, and under equipped. In spite of serious setbacks, the Revolution was successful and the British army surrendered in 1781.
Washington’s election as president was unanimous, the only president thus chosen in the United States. He served with dignity and grace, keenly aware that as the first president, every action would set a precedent for his successors and the budding nation. It is fitting that his face would be on our currency, that the nation’s capital city should bear his name, and a towering national monument as well. It is right and proper that we should celebrate his birthday as a nation. Every person who aspires to the high office of president should study his life and seek to reach his ideals.