Wikijunior:Presidents of the United States/George Washington

This is a painting of George Washington from 1803. It was painted by a man named Gilbert Stuart Williamstown.

George Washington was the first president of the United States.

He was born on February 22, 1732 in Virginia, at his family's farm. He had no middle name. Growing up, George did not have much formal schooling, meaning he did not go to school much. When he did, he went to a small school. Back then, most schools in the United States were private schools and cost money. George's mother, Mary, taught him a lot, and he loved to read. When George was 11 years old, his father passed away, and when George was 20, his stepbrother passed away too.

When he grew older, George became a land surveyor, meaning he created maps, decided what counted as a person's property, and more. With some of the money he earned as a surveyor, he would buy land himself. Sometimes, he would ask to be paid with land, rather than money.

In 1753, when he was 20 years old, George joined the French and Indian War. In this war, Great Britain fought France, and various Indigenous groups who worked with France, for land. He eventually became a colonel, which means he had a high rank in the British army.