Facts about George Washington

George Washington was the foremost President of United States. He was a man of integrity and honored in the country for his deep sense of duty and patriotism. He was strongly against discrimination or nepotism. He disliked taking undue advantage of his power. Washington has always stood as an example of republican virtue in America. Here are some facts about George Washington.

Important facts about George Washington

• George Washington was born on February 22,1732 in Virginia. He was born to Augustine Washington and Mary Ball Washington. He was the first mason to serve as a President.
• In 1759, Washington wedded Martha Dandridge Custis.
• He received all the 69 electoral votes cast and became the only President to be elected unanimously. Washington was one of two Presidents to sign the U.S. Constitution.
• In 1775,George Washington was the commander-in-chief of the American Revolutionary Forces. He commanded the Continental Army as a four-star general.
• In 1793, he announced the Proclamation of Neutrality, as a step towards avoiding foreign conflicts. By means of the Jay Treaty in 1795, he started a decade of peace with Britain.
• He died on December 14, 1799 in Mount Vernon, Virginia at the age of 67. After his death he was posthumously promoted to the position of General of the Armies of Congress. He was the only president who died in the 1700s.

Interesting Facts about George Washington

• George Washington was 6 feet, 2inches tall and weighed 200 pounds. He wore shoes of size 13. He had red hair when young. He used to tie them in a queue.
• His father and elder brother educated George. He did not attend any college.
• His favorite dishes include cream of peanut soup and string beans with mushrooms. He loved ice creams. He had ice cream coolers installed in his house.
• He helped plan the new capital city, which was given his name. But he never lived in that city. He used to commute by a boat from Mount Vernon to Washington D.C.
• Fox hunting and fishing were Washington’s favorite sports. His grandson reported that George Washington once threw a piece of slate across the 250 feet wide river Rappahanock.
• Washington left no direct descendent. He did not have any children of his own. His stepdaughter Pasty Custis died of epilepsy in 1773.His stepson Jackie Custis died of meningitis. Washington personally witnessed both these deaths.
• Friday appears to have played a vital role in his life. It was a Friday when he was born. He was commissioned lieutenant colonel in the military on a Friday. It was on a Friday that he laid the foundation stone of White House. . He was elected President of the Constitutional convention on a Friday and completed his Presidential term also on a Friday!
• Today Washington’s image is a National symbol for the United States. His image appeared on a dollar note. He was the first President to come on a postage stamp. His bust has been carved in Mount Rushmore. The state of Washington, which has been given his name, is the only state to be named after an American.

Fun Facts about George Washington

• Washington used to snore loudly. He frequently got confused in spellings having letters ‘i’ and ‘e’. He is reported to have had an IQ of 125. Records show that he did his own book keeping.
• At the time of his inauguration, George Washington had only one tooth. All his teeth were pulled by the time he was the President. At many times he wore dentures. His inauguration speech was 183 words long. Due to his false teeth he took 90 minutes to read it.
• He had six white horses in his stable. He had their teeth brushed everyday. He bred hound dogs and gave them strange names.
• George Washington’s family had thought him dead in the war at Monongahela. The family members also assumed he had made a dying speech. On knowing this, Washington had written to his brother that he wasn’t dead and that he had not composed a dying speech till then!
• In one of his plans for assault in 1775-76, he had called upon the soldiers to glide across the frozen span of Boston Harbor and attack the British. The plan was not practicable and was discarded.

Facts about George Washington reveal the versatile interests that he had and the varied circumstances he faced. They reflect the human being in this President of America.