Here are 34 interesting George Washington facts
1-5 George Washington Facts
1. George Washington feared the growing influence of political parties in the US. He thought that it would lead to “the alternate domination” of each party, taking revenge on each other in the form of reactionary political policies and that it would eventually cause the North and South to split. – Source
2. George Washington inoculated his troops against smallpox, reducing a 17% death rate from the disease down to 1%. – Source
3. George Washington’s mother was alive to see George Washington win the Revolutionary War and see him become the nation’s first president. She was consistently dissatisfied with her son and even petitioned Virginia for a pension because of claimed neglect.She was also rumored to be a loyalist. – Source
4. When George Washington moved to Philadelphia to serve as president, he rotated his slaves in and out of Pennsylvania in order to circumvent a law that freed slaves being held in the state for longer than 6 continuous months. The rotation itself was illegal, but no one opposed him. – Source
5. George Washington died when his doctors tried to cure his epiglottis (i.e. inflamed throat) with blood letting. He lost more than half his blood before they stopped the treatment, and died just hours later. – Source
6-10 George Washington Facts
6. In the 2nd U.S. Presidential election, both major parties, the Federalists, and Democratic-Republicans nominated George Washington as their candidate. – Source
The bar tab of a 1787 farewell party for George Washington is still intact. “According to the bill… [The Founding Fathers] drank 54 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of claret, 8 of whiskey, 22 of Porter, 8 of hard cider, 12 of beer, and 7 bowls of alcoholic punch”. The party had 55 attendees. – Source
8. George Washington did not wear a powdered wig. He actually grew out his own hair and powdered it so it would appear white. – Source
9. After having his hat shot from his head, bullets tear through his coat, and two horses shot from under him George Washington was able to ride 40 miles through the darkness to summon reinforcements while suffering from a severe case of dysentery. – Source
10. George Washington stopped the Revolutionary War to return a lost dog to the enemy. The terrier of a British general was found wandering the battlefield. The US waved a truce flag, and both sides stopped shooting until the dog was successfully returned to the British commander. – Source
11-15 George Washington Facts
11. George Washington’s infamous wooden teeth were actually human teeth from slaves. – Source
12. Due to American Public Law 94-479, by the 94th Congress, George Washington is protected from being outranked by any officer in past, present, and future – so if there’s a 6-star general, Washington is automatically upgraded to 7. – Source
13. George Washington warned the American Public of four things in his Farewell Address: Sectionalism, Political Factions, National Debt and Foreign Influence. – Source
14. George Washington has over $300,000 in overdue library fines. – Source
15. On Feb 20th, 1792 George Washington signed the Postal Service Act, making it illegal for postal officials to open anyone’s mail. – Source
16-20 George Washington Facts
16. George Washington’s only military surrender was to the French. – Source
17. After his presidency, George Washington owned the largest whiskey distillery in the U.S. – Source
18. George Washington quelled an officer insurrection by putting on a new pair of spectacles while reading a letter to the group stating “Gentlemen, you must pardon me. I have grown gray in your service and now find myself growing blind.” Many officers were moved to tears. – Source
19. George Washington’s best spy, code named ‘Culper Jr.’, was only identified as Robert Townsend nearly 150 years after the war because a Long Island historian named Morton Penny Packer recognized his handwriting from some business receipts and matched it to intelligence correspondence. – Source
20. George Washington once said that “Overgrown military establishments” under any form of government are “Inauspicious to liberty” and “are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty”. – Source
Great facts! Thank you for these. And they’re just in time for the final season about to begin of “Turn – Washington’s Spies” on tv.