George Washington: The Institutional Founder—A Modern Data Profile

George Washington is often described as the founding father who set many of the precedents for executive power. This profile presents a data-first portrait of Washington’s life, terms, and institutional impact, using harmonized records, original sources, and interpretive context.

Biographical snapshot

Name: George Washington. Born: February 22, 1732. Died: December 14, 1799. Occupation prior to presidency: Planter, military officer, statesman. Political alignment: Nonpartisan in the modern sense—often associated with Federalist policies.

Terms in office

Washington served two full terms as President of the United States, from April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797. Our records flag important milestones:

• First inauguration: 1789—set patterns for peaceful transfer and oath-taking.
• Formation of the first presidential cabinet with key figures like Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson.
• Voluntary retirement after two terms—an informal norm that would later be enshrined in the 22nd Amendment.

"I walk on untrodden ground." — Excerpt from a letter reflecting Washington’s sense of institutional responsibility.

Primary sources and speeches

Presidents.Cloud indexes Washington’s key public addresses, including the Farewell Address (1796). Our transcripts include annotated variants, source provenance, and links to scanned originals in the National Archives.

Researchers can retrieve full texts through our speeches endpoint and examine how themes like national unity and cautions against factionalism recur across drafts.

Decisions that shaped the executive

Washington’s import to executive practice came from precedent: creation of an independent federal judiciary, the enforcement of federal law in crises such as the Whiskey Rebellion, and the careful balancing of foreign entanglements. Using our term metadata, analysts can map Washington-era decisions to later institutional developments.

Comparative metrics

While direct approval polling didn’t exist in Washington’s time, our methodology allows cross-era comparisons using proxy indicators: documented public receptions, newspaper coverage density, and legislative cooperation metrics. These proxies are labeled and sourced so users can scrutinize assumptions.

Contested legacy

No profile is complete without grappling with contradictions. Washington was a slaveholder who also promoted a strong union and legal institutions. Presenting both aspects is essential for honest scholarship.

Presidents.Cloud includes reappraisals from historians across the ideological spectrum, and our records note contested claims with linked sources so users can explore the debate themselves.

Data access and reproducibility

Every claim in this profile ties back to a set of referenced documents. For example, our record for the Farewell Address includes three primary manuscripts and at least four contemporary newspaper publications. Reproducibility is a priority: export the dataset as JSON and metadata about the provenance is included for citation.

How to use this profile

Suggested uses include:

• Classroom timelines comparing constitutional precedents.
• Local history projects linking national decisions to regional outcomes.
• Data visualizations showing institutional change across first administrations.

For more detailed queries, use the API endpoint /v1/presidents/george-washington which returns enriched metadata, source objects, and cross-references to related figures.