George Washington (1732-1799) was an American military officer and statesman who led the Continental Army to victory during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and served as the first president of the United States (1789-1797). Often regarded as the 'Father of His Country', Washington remains one of the most revered and iconic figures in US history.
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Timeline
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22 Feb 1732George Washington is born at 10 am on Pope's Creek plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
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12 Apr 1743Augustine Washington dies; 11-year-old George inherits the property of Ferry Farm and 10 slaves, goes to live with his brother Lawrence at Mount Vernon.
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Mar 1748George Washington embarks on his first land surveying expedition into western Virginia.
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Nov 1751 - Dec 1751George Washington accompanies his older brother Lawrence to Barbados; while there, George contracts smallpox but recovers .
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26 Jul 1752Lawrence Washington dies of tuberculosis, aged 34.
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11 Dec 1753Major Washington arrives at Fort LeBoeuf to demand the French stop building forts on the Ohio River. He is politely, but firmly, rebuffed.
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28 May 1754Washington and Mingo chief Tanacharison ambush a party of French soldiers at Jumonville Glen, killing the French commander.
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28 May 1754The opening battle of the French and Indian War is fought in present-day Pennsylvania, The Battle of Jumonville Glen, in which British forces under Lt. Colonel George Washington defeat the French under Joseph Coulon de Jumonville.
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3 Jul 1754Battle of Fort Necessity; the French allow Washington and his men to return home after signing a document admitting they 'assassinated' a French diplomat.
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9 Jul 1755A British expeditionary force under Gen. Braddock is ambushed by French and Indians near the Monongahela River in modern PA; 800 British casualties, including Braddock.
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Aug 1755Colonel Washington appointed commander of the Virginia Regiment.
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6 Jan 1759George Washington marries the wealthy widow Martha Dandridge Custis, becomes stepfather to her two children.
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1761George Washington becomes the sole owner of Mount Vernon upon the death of Anne Fairfax, Lawrence's widow.
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10 Feb 1763Treaty of Paris of 1763 ends the French and Indian War.
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19 Jun 1773George Washington's stepdaughter, Martha "Patsy" Parke Custis, dies of an epileptic seizure, age 17.
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Aug 1774 - Oct 1774Washington becomes increasingly involved in the American Revolution; attends the First Virginia Convention and the First Continental Congress.
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15 Jun 1775The Second Continental Congress adopts the Continental Army, names George Washington as commander-in-chief.
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2 Jul 1775George Washington arrives in Cambridge, MA to take command of the Continental Army, implements army reforms.
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29 Jul 1775The Judge Advocate General's Corp of the United States Army is established, now referenced as the JAG Corps, founded by General George Washington to provide legal services to military personnel.
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17 Mar 1776George Washington's troops enter Boston, MA after an 11-month siege.
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9 Jul 1776Gen. George Washington reads the Declaration of Independence aloud to his troops in NYC; a statue of King George III on Bowling Green is torn down and melted into bullets.
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27 Aug 1776 - 27 Dec 1776George Washington's depleted army is chased across the Delaware River in the New York and New Jersey Campaign.
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27 Aug 1776Battle of Long Island; the Continental Army is defeated by British troops and German auxiliaries.
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26 Dec 1776After recrossing the Delaware River, Gen. George Washington surprises and defeats a Hessian garrison at the Battle of Trenton.
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3 Jan 1777General George Washington defeats the British army at the Battle of Princeton.
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11 Sep 1777Battle of Brandywine Creek; George Washington's army is defeated by British forces after 11 hours of fighting. Lafayette is wounded.
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Nov 1777 - Apr 1778The Conway Cabal threatens to remove George Washington from his role as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army but is ultimately thwarted.
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19 Oct 1781The Siege of Yorktown ends in Virginia with a Franco-American victory over the British. The siege began on 28 September under the direction of General George Washington with support from the Marquis de Lafayette, concluding on the 19th with the surrender of General Charles Cornwallis of the British Army, ending the American Revolutionary War.
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19 Oct 1781Gen. George Washington accepts the surrender of Lord Cornwallis following the Siege of Yorktown.
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May 1787 - Sep 1787George Washington serves as president of the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
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4 Feb 1789In the first US presidential election, George Washington wins all 69 electoral votes; John Adams is elected vice president.
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4 Feb 1789George Washington is elected the first President of the United States with John Adams as Vice President. The election was certified by Congress on 6 April and Washington was inaugurated on 30 April 1789.
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30 Apr 1789George Washington is inaugurated as president of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City.
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30 Apr 1789George Washington is sworn in as the first President of the United States on the balcony of Federal Hall, New York City, officiated by Robert R. Livingston, Chancellor of New York.
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30 Apr 1789George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States, having been unanimously voted in by the electors.
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26 Nov 1789The 26th of November is celebrated as the first national Thanksgiving Day per a decree from US President George Washington. President Abraham Lincoln designated the fourth Thursday of November as the date of observance.
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4 Jan 1790President George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address in the United States.
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31 May 1790The Copyright Act of 1790 is signed into law by US President George Washington providing a protection duration of 14 years with an option to renew if the author was still living at the time it expired. It covered books, charts, and maps which had to be registered with the US District Court.
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16 Jul 1790The Residence Act of 1790 is signed into law by US President George Washington establishing a permanent seat for the federal government at what will become Washington, D. C.
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9 Sep 1791Washington, District of Columbia. is named by three commissioners overseeing the capital's construction in honor of George Washington, the first president of the United States, and Christopher Columbus who was erroneously believed to have "discovered" North America.
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20 Feb 1792The Postal Service Act of 1792 is signed into law by President George Washington, creating the United States Post Office Department. Also known as The Post Office Act, the legislation established post offices, postal routes, expanded mail service, and made it illegal to open someone else's mail. Postage stamps cost between 6-12 cents depending on the distance the letter or package needed to travel.
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2 Apr 1792The Coinage Act of 1792 is passed by the US Congress, signed by President George Washington, establishing the United States Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and making the US dollar the nation's standard unit of currency.
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12 Feb 1793The US Congress passes the First Fugitive Slave Act unanimously, giving slave owners the right to pursue and reclaim escaped slaves in any region of the USA. The Act was signed into law by President George Washington the same day. The Second Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 enlarged slave owners' rights and increased tensions leading to the American Civil War.
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4 Mar 1793President George Washington is sworn in for his second term.
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22 Apr 1793President George Washington issues a Proclamation of Neutrality, stating that the U.S. would remain neutral in the French Revolutionary Wars .
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Sep 1794 - Oct 1794President George Washington assembles a 13,000-man militia army to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in western PA.
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19 Nov 1794Controversial Jay Treaty reopens trade with Great Britain.
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19 Sep 1796George Washington's Farewell Address is published in *Claypoole's American Daily Advertiser*, emphasizing the importance of national unity, before it is picked up and reprinted in newspapers, and then as a pamphlet, becoming one of the most influential documents in American history.
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19 Sep 1796President George Washington delivers his 'Farewell Address' in which he warns of the dangers of political parties.
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4 Mar 1797President George Washington leaves office at the end of his second term, retires to Mount Vernon.
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14 Dec 1799President George Washington dies at Mount Vernon, at the age of 67.
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21 Feb 1885The Washington Monument is formally dedicated in Washington, D.C. one day before his birthday celebrations. Construction on the monument began in 1848 but work was suspended 1854-1877 due to lack of funds and the American Civil War. It was completed in December 1884 and, at 555 feet (169 meters) was the tallest monument in the world until the Eiffel Tower claimed that honor in 1889.
