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George Washington

George Washington was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1732. He began to learn surveying at the age of 15. In the summer of 1749, Washington helped lay out the newly established Alexandria VA. His first military experiences came in the French and Indian War. After marrying Martha Custis in 1759, he moved to Williamsburg and served in the colonial legislature.

Washington was a delegate for the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1774 and again to the Second Continental Congress in 1775, where he was elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. He ultimately defeated the British at Yorktown, which led to the end of the war. He was elected president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. He later served two terms as President of the United States, retiring thereafter to his estate at Mount Vernon in December, 1799.