George Washington Dollar Coin

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Issued February 15, 2007

 George Washington

First President of The United States
(1789-1797)

The George Washington one-dollar coin features a portrait of Washington based on a sculpture by Jean Antoine Houdon. Houdon created the bust from a plaster east that he made of Washington’s face in 1785. Lettering on the coin indicates that Washington was the first U.S. President; the coin was also the first in the Presidential Dollars series.

 Due to his role in many of the major events in the founding of the Unites States, Washington was renowned as the “Father of His Country.” He was also known as the “Sword of the Revolution” for his leadership role in the fight for America’s independence.

As america’s first President. Washington set the standards for all subsequent Presidents. Among the great avhievements during his Presidency were the establishment of the District of Columbia as the fuutre site of the nation’s capital, the passage of the bill of Rights, the founding of the U.S. Mint, the admission of Kentucky and Tennessee to statehood, and the laying of the cornerstone of the White House. During his first term, the supreme Court met for the first time, the first official census was authorized and the Bank of the United States was chartered.

“Father of His Country”

Born into a farming family on February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia, Washington received minimal formal education. In 1752, he joined the Virginia militia, then under British control. He was sent into the Ohio River Valley in western Pennsylvania to attack a small French force in 1754, marking the start of the French and Indian War.

Being an American, Washington was unable to advance in the British army despite his bravery and military skill. Resigning his commission in late 1758, he started a political career by taking a seat in the Virginia House of Burgesses. He also began to manage his Virginia estate, Mount Vernon, and Married Martha Dandridge Custis on January 6, 1759.

For the next 15 years,  Washington was content to be a gentleman farmer, but as the American Revolution gained momentum in the mid 1770’s, his attention turned to national politics. He was elected to the First Continental Congress in 1774, and on June 15, 1775, the Second Continental Congress appointed him Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. He assumed command on July 3.

In one pivotal battle, Washington led his troops across the Dalaware River on December 15, 1776 to surprise the British and turn the tide of war int he American’s favor. On October 9, 1781, he accepted the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, thus ending hostilities and cementing his place as one of America’s first national heroes.

A delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, Washington was unanimously elected its president, and oversaw the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. When this was ratified by the states, Washington was unanimously elected first President of the new nation, inaugurated on April 30, 1789 in New York.

Among the key members of his administraton were Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, who served as Secretaries of Treasury and State, respectively. Unanimously reelected to a second term in 1792, Washington declined to serve another in 1796, instead retiring to Mount Vernon to be with his wife. He died on December 14, 1799.

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I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable fo all titles, the character of an honest man.

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