Washington, George

George Washington (1732-1799) was an American Founding Father, military officer, and politician who served as the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797. His early career and first public office, from 1749 to 1750 (at the age of 17), was as Land Surveyor of Culpeper County in the Colony of Virginia. By 1752, he had completed nearly two hundred surveys. His experience as a surveyor led to great success as a land speculator; at one point, he owned nearly 70,000 acres between the Potomac and Ohio Rivers. His surveys included his own land at Mount Vernon.