Presidential Profiles: George Washington (1789-1797)

On Thursday, April 30, 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States of America. In honor of that, we are starting a new series called Presidential Profiles, which will complement a new series by the same name on the Gov Info 4 Schools blog. That series, however, will be briefer and aimed at school children.

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 in Pope's Creek, Virginia. At the age of 16, George Washington was a surveyor and helped survey the Shenandoah lands. He was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel in 1754, fighting in the early skirmishes of what would become the French and Indian Wars. His work as a surveyor, along with his military experience, would help him in May 1775 when he was elected to one of his most important roles of all--Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. After taking command of an ill-trained and ill-equipped army on July 3, 1775, George Washington would spend the next six years fighting in the war until Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in 1781.

Though he had hoped to retire to Mount Vernon after the war, Washington quickly realized that the infant nation was not functioning well under the Articles of Confederation. He became the prime force that led to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in 1787. After ratifying the constitution, the Electoral College unanimously elected George Washington as the first President of the United States of America. On Thursday, April 30, 1789, George Washington took the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York. To read his speech, click here.Though his annual salary was $25,000, Washington refused to accept it. He would serve two terms as president from 1789 to 1797. His second inauguration would take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 4, 1793. At this inauguration, George Washington delivered the shortest inaugural address at just 135 words. To his great disappointment, two party systems had already begun to develop by the end of his first term. On March 3, 1797, George Washington's tenure as president would end. Within two short years, on December 14, 1799, he died at 67 years of age in his home, Mount Vernon.

George Washington's Administration

First Lady: Martha Washington, married January 6, 1759

Vice President: John Adams

Secretaries of State:

Thomas Jefferson (1789–1793)
Edmund Randolph (1794–1795)
Timothy Pickering (1796–1797)

Attorneys General:

Edmund Randolph (1789–1794)
William Bradford (1794–1795)
Charles Lee (1795–1797)

Secretaries of War:

Henry Knox (1789–1794)
Timothy Pickering (1795–1796)
James McHenry (1796–1797)

Inaugural Information

First Inaugural Ceremonies, April 30, 1789

Second Inaugural Ceremonies, March 4, 1793

For more information on President George Washington, check out these resources...

George Washington, White House

American President: George Washington, Miller Center, University of Virginia

George Washington, POTUS, Internet Public Library

George Washington Papers (1741-1799), Library of Congress

Rediscovering George Washington, PBS

Meet George Washington, Mount Vernon


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