WASHINGTON, George, the first president of the United States, was born in the year 1732, in the parish of Washington, in Virginia. He was descended from an ancient family in Cheshire, of which a branch was established in Virginia about the middle of the seventeenth century. Little is known concerning his education, or the early years of his life. Before he was twenty years of age, he was appointed a major in the colonial militia, and had then an opportunity of displaying those military and political talents which have since rendered his name so famous throughout the world. In the disputes which arose between the French and English officers, about settling the limits of Canada and Louisiana, Major Washington was employed by the governor of Virginia as a negotiator, and he succeeded in preventing a threatened invasion of the English frontiers by tire French and their Indian allies; but in the following year, when hostilities seemed inevitable, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel, and soon after to the command of a regiment raised by the colony for its own defence. In 1755, Colonel Washington served as a volunteer in the unfortunate expedition of General Braddock; and in that expedition, which was attended with great difficulty, he exhibited so much calmness and intrepidity, that the utmost confidence was reposed in his talents, and perfect obedience paid to his commands, by the whole army. After having been employed in a different and more successful expedition, to the river Ohio, the state of his health required him, about the year 1758, to resign his military situation; and in the sixteen following years, durring which period he married Mrs Custis, a Virginian lady of amiable character and respectable connections, it would appear that he resided chiefly at his beautiful seat of Mount Vernon, and was occupied in the cultivation of his estate.
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When the disaffection of the Americans to the British government had become pretty general, and had at last spread to the colony of Virginia, Colonel Washington was appointed a delegate from that state to the congress which met at Philadelphia on the 26th October 1774; and soon after he was appointed to the command of the American army, which had assembled in the provinces of New England. The conduct of Washington during the whole of the war, as well as during the period when he presided in the government of the United States, has been so fully detailed in other parts of this work, that it would be unnecessary repetition even to give a general outline of it in this place.

Washington resigned the presidency in 1796, after having published a farewell address to his countrymen. This address was remarkably distinguished for the simplicity and ingenuousness, moderation and sobriety, the good sense, prudence, and honesty, as well as sincere affection for his country and for mankind, which the author of it had always exhibited. It seemed to be a perfect picture of his whole life. From the time of his resignation till the month of July 1798, he lived in retirement at his seat of Mount Vernon. At this period, when the unprincipled actors in the French revolution were carrying on their wicked machinations in every part of the world to which their influence extended, the United States resolved to arm by land and sea in their own defence. General Washington was called from his retirement, and the command of the army was bestowed upon him. This he accepted, because he considered, as he himself expressed it, “every thing we hold dear and sacred was seriously threatened, although he had flattered himself that he had quitted for ever the boundless field of public action, incessant trouble, and high responsibility, in which he had long acted so conspicuous a part.” In this situation he continued during the remaining short period of his life. On Thursday the 12th of December 1799, he was seized with an inflammation in the throat, and was carried off on Saturday the 14th of the same month, in the sixty-eighth year of his age. In his dying moments he displayed the same calmness, simplicity, and regularity, which had uniformly marked his conduct through life. He saw the approaches of death without fear, and he met them without parade. The well-ordered state of his private affairs bore the stamp of that constant authority of prudence and practical reason over his actions which was always the most prominent feature of his character. His name will ever be remembered by, and precious to, all wellwishers of mankind and of liberty, as that of the most prudent commander and the most virtuous ruler that history has recorded. His life has been written by Marshall, chief justice of America, and by Mr Sparks; and his state-papers have been published, with an eloquent eloge, by Μ. Guizot.