George Washington

George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was the first President of the United States, (1789–1797), and led the Continental Army to victory over the Kingdom of Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). Washington was chosen to be the commander-in-chief of the American revolutionary forces in 1775. The following year, he forced the British out of Boston, lost New York City, and crossed the Delaware River in New Jersey and defeating the surprised enemy units later that year. As a result of his strategy, Revolutionary forces captured the two main British combat armies—Saratoga and Yorktown. Negotiating with Congress, the colonial states, and French allies, he held together a tenuous army and a fragile nation amid the threats of disintegration and failure. Following the end of the war in 1783, Washington retired to his plantation on Mount Vernon. Unsatisfied with the Articles of Confederation, he presided over the Philadelphia Convention that drafted... full article at wikipedia