It is at the very entrance to the airway which goes through the larynx to the trachea and lungs. With acute epiglottitis, George Washington would have had great difficulty breathing, talking, and swallowing and these he certainly had. The onset of epiglottitis is usually acute and fulminating. Death from this dysorder is caused by obstruction of the patient's airway and is very painful and frightening. However none of these diagnoses quite fit the description of Washington's terminal illness but on the other hand acute epiglottitis does explain all of his symptoms and his demise.
Laryngeal diphtheria is an unlikely diagnosis for several reasons.
This would have been diphtheria and would have given him lifetime immunity against future attacks of diphtheria more than likely. There were no other reported cases of diphtheria in his household or farm population so the likelihood that he would have picked up a case of diphtheria was remote. Diphtheria in an adult is a very rare occurrence. Although this diagnosis is a possibility because it can produce laryngeal obstruction and respiratory distress, it just doesn't fit the picture. Quinsy is the term used to describe a peritonsillar abscess.