George Washington

George Washington 1st President of the United States (April 30, 1789 to March 3, 1797) Nickname: "Father of His Country" Born: February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia Died: December 14, 1799, at Mount Vernon, Virginia

Father: Augustine Washington
Mother: Mary Ball Washington
Married: Martha Dandridge Custis (1732-1802), on January 6, 1759
Children: John "Jack" Parke Custis (adopted); Martha "Patsy" Custis (adopted)

Religion: Episcopalian
Education: No formal education
Occupation: Planter, Soldier
Political Party: No formal political party affiliation, but see Points of Interest.
Other Government Positions:

• Member of Virginia House of Burgesses, 1759-74
• Member of Continental Congress, 1774-75
• Chairman of the Constitutional Convention, 1787-88

Presidential Salary: $25,000/year (refused by Washington)

Points of Interest:

• It can be argued that Washington aligned himself with members of the "Federalist Party", but he never ran for the presidency for any political party. Moreover, his farewell address warned of the dangers of political parties.
• Believing that shaking hands was beneath a president, Washington bowed to his visitors.
• Washington has the distinction of being the only president to be elected unanimously by the electoral college.
• Washington had one remaining tooth at the time of his inauguration. During his lifetime he wore dentures made of human (some his own), cow, or hippopotamus teeth, ivory, or lead, but he never wore wooden teeth.
• Many places are named after Washington including the nation's capital, the state, 31 counties and 17 communities.
• The six white horses in Washington's stables had their teeth brushed every morning on Washington's orders.
• The nation's capital was located in Philadelphia during Washington's administration making him the only president who didn't live in Washington, D.C. during his presidency.