February 22: George Washington

George Washington was a key figure in the founding of America. He served as the first president, from April 30, 1789-March 3, 1797.

1. Although his date of birth is recorded as February 22, 1732, his date of birth was actually February 11, 1731. This is because he was born during the changeover from the Gregorian Calendar from the Julian calendar, meaning his birthday was moved by eleven days. To complicate matters even more, his birthday fell before the old date for New Year’s Day, but after the new date for New Year’s Day, leading to the year being changed, as well.
2. He left school at 15, because his mother couldn't afford to send him to college. He became a land surveyor, and during this career, created some 199 land surveys, including one of his half brother's Turnip garden. It was a skill which would prove useful in his later military career.
3. He was over six feet tall, and as a young man, had Red hair. He didn't wear a wig like many men of the time. The hair you see in his portraits is all his own, although he did powder it to make it White.
4. He was physically strong and an excellent horseman. Jefferson called Washington "the best horseman of his age". That said, he did suffer from any number of health problems throughout his life. Diphtheria, tuberculosis, smallpox, dysentery, malaria, tonsillitis, carbuncle, pneumonia, and epiglottitis to name but a few. He also had a lot of dental problems, losing all his teeth by the time he was 57. John Adams claimed he lost his teeth because he used them to crack Brazil nuts, but historians today reckon it was more likely to have been due to the Mercury oxide medication he was given for his other complaints. It's thought he may have been suffering from toothache when he posed for the portrait used on the one dollar bill. And no, he didn't have wooden false teeth. He did have dentures but they were made from ivory, bone, and human teeth.
5. He was a dog lover, and bred Dogs; he cross-bred black and tan hounds with large French hounds, creating a new breed - the American Foxhound. He is known as the "Father of the American Foxhound," and kept more than 30 of them. He gave them names, too - Drunkard, Tipler, Tipsy, Tartar, Truelove, and Sweet Lips are among the names he gave his dogs. Washington also kept terriers, spaniels, and a Dalmatian called Madame Moose. I even found reference to an obscure fact about him that he once stopped a war to return a lost dog to the enemy, but only one source mentioned it. A nice story if it's true.
6. As well as Horse-riding and dog breeding, Washington's hobbies included dancing and attending theatre. He also spent a lot of time writing letters - the best estimates put the number of letters he wrote somewhere between 18,000 and 20,000. Some of his favourite foods were cream of Peanut soup, mashed sweet potatoes with coconut, and string beans with Mushrooms. He drank in moderation and in later life became a successful distiller of Whiskey. He gambled in moderation, too, keeping detailed records of his wins and losses.
7. We know from his letters that as a young man he was in love with Sally Fairfax, his friend's wife, and wrote love letters to her even after her marriage. At 26, he married a widow called Martha Dandridge Custis, and became step father to her two children. He didn't have any children of his own. Whether he was childfree by choice or infertile due to his numerous health issues isn't known - but if you're father of a nation and a breed of dog, who needs kids?
8. George Washington is the only American president to be unanimously elected to the office. Twice. He received all the electoral votes for both his terms in office. He is also the only president to go into battle while serving as president, when on September 19, 1794, he led the militia on a nearly month-long march west over the Allegheny Mountains to the town of Bedford.
9. Washington was named Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. military in 1798, even though he was no longer president by then. It was an advisory role, and probably motivated by a need for a well-known and respected face to help boost recruitment to the army in case the French invaded. Washington's letters tell us that he was frustrated because, even in this kind of role, nobody told him much about what was going on. No-one will ever have a higher military rank than George Washington. In 1976 a law was passed making him the highest ranking U.S. officer ever: General of the Armies of the United States, posthumously. Nobody will ever outrank him.
10. He died aged 67 on December 14, 1799. The cause of his death is disputed. A couple of days earlier, he'd been out riding in freezing cold weather and didn't change out of his wet clothes before dinner. He did the same thing the following day despite a severe sore throat. He woke up that night unable to speak or swallow. The doctor was called in, and by Washington's own request, removed several pints of his Blood. Bloodletting was a common treatment in those days and Washington actually believed it worked. When it became clear it wasn't going to work in this case one of the three doctors present suggested an emergency tracheotomy but since this was a new and unfamiliar procedure the other two refused. Washington's last words were "'Tis well." He was greatly mourned, even by former enemies. Napoleon Bonaparte ordered ten days of mourning throughout France, and the British Royal Navy's Channel Fleet lowered their flags to half mast. Japanese Shinto priests in Hawaii still worship him as a god.

See also
Abraham Lincoln

Ronald Reagan

Theodore Roosevelt

US Presidents

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