The major difficulty with writing about George Washington is that a reverent aura surrounds his memory. The gravity of this reverence often places the person of our founding father above criticism. To me this is unfair to him. If he was above criticism; if he was liked by all; if he was a great warrior then he was perfect and probably dull. The truth is that George Washington was very interesting and charismatic. He worked hard against great odds. It is my feeling that if it were not for him the United States would not exist today. Not only did he skillfully lead the Revolutionary Army, but also many of the delegates to the Constitution Convention would not have attended if he had not attended.

His great-grandfather John Washington was sent to the Colonies to fight the Indians, and he became a Colonel in the British Army. August Washington, George's father, was a successful businessman and planter, died when George was only eleven years old. George's mother, Mary, was the second wife of August and most of the money and the estate that in time would be called Mount Vernon, rested with August's first family. At first George was not remotely in the running to get the estate. His half-brother Lawrence, took George "under his wing." George moved to Mount Vernon and was educated through the efforts of Lawrence.

George's relationship with his mother was somewhat complicated and at times embarrassing. In his book "For King and Country: The Maturing of George Washington 1718 - 1760", Thomas A. Lewis notes that his mother Mary Washington wrote upbraiding George after his dash to Williamsburg because he had not visited her; and demanded a Dutch servant and some butter. George replied that in the Wilderness there was no Dutch servant and a scarcity of butter. While her son was President Mary would write the Congress demanding a pension because she claimed he was not taking care of her. The great President was forced to write to the Congress that he took care of his mother and in his absence the stewards at Mount Vernon were instructed to see to her needs. By the time young George was sixteen he had completed his formal education and begun working as a surveyor. My first impression was that he obtained the equivalent of a modern day elementary education but further study reveals that he was an excellent student in Trigonometry, Geometry and that he loved algorithms. He frequently read Shakespeare and other classics. Later in life he loved attending the theatre.

James Flexner in "George Washington In the American Revolution (1775 - 1783)", describes his physical characteristics, " . . . Washington stood almost a head taller than those around him. Although his shoulders and chest were narrow he gave the impression of great physical power. His bones were all large: big hands and feet, heavy thighs, massive, strongly sculptured head." The painter Gilbert Stuart was to find 'features in his face totally different from what I had observed in any other human being. The sockets of the eye, for instance, were larger than what I had ever met before, and the upper part of the nose broader.' He was of a blond cast: his complexion sunburned but without much color, his face slightly marked by smallpox, his eyes gray-blue, his hair reddish-brown." After his death at the age of sixty-seven years, his height was measured at 6' 3/4", which most likely means that he had been an inch taller during his life. This would make him a rival with Abraham Lincoln for the tallest president.

During the Revolution he weighed 209 pounds.

At age fifty-one he needed eye glasses finding that "...letters appeared like a mist, blended together and confused." He experimented with the glasses of fellow officers and then ordered his own.

He could be and was gracious in speech and could and did the "back slapping" and cajoling. He is presently remembered in his serious later days. At meetings of the Constitutional Convention and as member of the Virginia legislature he seldom spoke more than ten minutes at a time. When he did speak he was worth listening to. His biographer James Flexner writes, "When serious matters were discussed, he would be grave, think hard, and say little; but sometimes in the end sum up all. Indignation could flood his rugged countenance, and then his eyes, which were lively in repose, would flash and he would make big gestures with his huge hands. His character seemed a combination of strength and amiability, and he practiced always that courtesy that comes from imaginative sympathy with other men's feelings. Yet those who were long in his presence sensed in his nature a hidden violence that could be attuned to the brutal necessities of war." As Stuart put it, "All his features were indicative of the strongest passions, yet like Socrates, his judgment and self-command made him appear cast in the eyes of the world ...Had he been born in the forests...he would have been the fiercest man among the savage tribes." George Washington was well aware of his temper and constantly fought it.

Not everyone in the Revolutionary Army loved or even liked General Washington, and it was only a fluke that prevented his own "guards" from assassinating him. A thief David Matthews jailed for stealing a piano overheard soldiers in the cell talking about the assassination. He bartered the information for his freedom. The information checked out and lead to hangings. At the hanging of Sergeant Thomas Hickey, General Washington tried to turn attention away from the main crime of attempting to kill the army's commander-in-chief. General Washington said, "The most certain method to keep from being tempted into the crimes of mutiny, sedition, and treachery, was to avoid lewd women who, by the dying confession of this poor criminal, first led him into practices which ended in an untimely and ignominious death."

Once the army was in mutiny, not against George Washington but against the Congress that had not paid the soldiers in months. The troops on their march against the Congress, were met by officers who promised a meeting the next day at 10:00 AM with the commanding general. Spirits were high and not friendly. Few thought that Washington would brave a confrontation with the mutinous troops. Indeed, the clock was about to strike 10:00 AM and there was no general in sight. Only seconds before the clock struck, the meeting house door slammed opened and George Washington briskly marched in. What followed was to me one of the most extraordinary speeches in history. General Washington in no way began in a conciliatory fashion. He was the general. He told the troops that the meeting would be held with full military discipline. The speech continued for some time when he picked up a letter with the troops demands. He squinted at the letter, then fumbled for his glasses and said that not only had he grown gray in the service of his country, but his eyes now needed glasses. The troops had never seen his glasses. He called to one veteran, and remembered an incident during a battle. He recognized another veteran, and briefly spoke to him. Was he not with them at all times especially the worst of times? When they were cold at Valley Forge, he was cold. When they were not paid, he was not paid. When they were hungry, he was hungry. When the battle was the worst he had been on the front line. He began to read the demands with some difficulty. The soldiers were embarrassed for, and saddened by their commander's eyesight and difficulty. The eyes of many of the battle veterans began to water, and they stopped the general; apologized to him, and asked if he would take their grievances to the Congress. George Washington was in the hearts of his soldiers.

Life for George Washington would not be easy. Even as President there was constant criticism. Thomas Jefferson secretly hired the Frenchmen Philip Freneau to publicly criticize Washington. A mob threatened him on the way to and from his second inauguration. Newspapers called him King George. Once he retired from the presidency the criticism ceased.

To those who criticize Freemasonry I often note that George Washington was a Freemason. Some state that he really did not understand Freemasonry and that he was not an active Freemason.

Let's look at George Washington and Freemasonry. Four months prior to his twenty-first birthday on November 4, 1752 he was initiated into the Lodge at Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was passed on March 3, 1753 and raised on August 4, 1753. On June 24, 1784 Washington was made an honorary member of Alexandria Lodge No. 39. On April 28, 1788, this Lodge changed its registration from the Pennsylvania Grand Lodge to the Grand Lodge of Virginia and was given the number 22. George Washington was the charter master and re-elected on December 20, 1788. When inaugurated President in New York, the capital at that time, the oath was administered by Robert R. Livingston, Grand Master of New York. The Holy Bible on which he took the oath of office was borrowed from Saint John's Lodge No. 1. The ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone of the Capitol Building was in the hands of the Grand Lodge of Maryland. George Washington was there in the capacity of the Grand Master Pro Tem of Maryland and he wore a Masonic apron given him by Lafayette.

(c) 2006 David Kimball

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The author, David Kimball is a Former Master of El Camino Research Lodge, at San Jose, California. His blue lodge is Los Altos Lodge, No. 712, in Los Altos California, where he is a Hiram Award recipient. He is a 32nd Degree member of the San Jose Scottish Rite, where he is a member of the Knights of St. Andrew, and is an active member of the Asiya Shrine. You may contact him at freemason712@yahoo.com.

(Permission to reprint and otherwise use this article is granted to all Masonic organizations recognized by the Grand Lodge of California, Free and Accepted Masons.)

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