By Den Ardinger 32° KCCH

George Washington’s life is often viewed through two larger than life events; his presidency and his command of American forces in the Revolutionary War. However, his character was deeply forged by his roots as a Virginia planter and his lifelong commitment to the principles of Freemasonry. Born on February 22, 1732, at Pope’s Creek in Westmoreland County, Virginia, he was the eldest child of Augustine Washington and his second wife, Mary Ball Washington.  His birthdate under the old calendar system when he was born, the Julian calendar, was February 11, 1731.

Family Roots and Early Life

The Washington family’s origins trace back to 12th-century England, specifically the manor of Wessyington in County Durham. George’s great-grandfather, John Washington, immigrated to Virginia in 1656 after a shipwreck on the Potomac River. By the time George was born, the family belonged to the Virginia gentry, though they were not among the wealthiest tier of the planter class.

Washington’s life changed significantly at age eleven when his father died in April, 1743. While his older half-brothers, Lawrence and Augustine Jr., had been sent to England for a formal education, George remained in Virginia. He inherited a modest estate known as Ferry Farm but lacked the resources for a classical university education. Instead, he became a self-taught surveyor, a profession that allowed him to travel into the Appalachian Mountains and acquire land of his own.

In 1759, he married Martha Dandridge Custis, a wealthy widow. While they had no children of their own, George took an active role in raising Martha’s two children from her previous marriage, John Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis.

Ties to Freemasonry

Freemasonry played a central and important part in Washington’s adult life. He was initiated into Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 in Virginia on November 4, 1752, at the age of twenty.  He became a Master Mason the following year. The fraternity provided Washington with a framework for leadership and a network of “brothers” that spanned across the widely varied and often bickering colonies. During the Revolutionary War, General Washington frequently attended lodge meetings within his army’s camps, believing that the Masonic emphasis on virtue and merit helped stabilize the Continental Army.

Even as he ascended to the presidency, his Masonic identity remained public and proud. In 1788, he was elected the first Master of Alexandria Lodge No. 22.

Most famously, during his first term as president in 1793, Washington presided over the cornerstone-laying ceremony for the U.S. Capitol. He arrived in full Masonic regalia, wearing an embroidered apron gifted to him by the Marquis de Lafayette, and used a Masonic trowel and gavel to bless the building’s foundation.

Military and Political Leadership

Washington’s public career was defined by his refusal to seek absolute power. After leading the Continental Army to a hard-won victory over the British at Yorktown in 1781, he took the unprecedented step of resigning his commission to the Continental Congress. This act established the American precedent of civilian control over the military.

He was lured out of retirement to preside over the Constitutional Convention in 1787. His presence gave the proceedings legitimacy, and his eventual election as the first President of the United States in 1789 was unanimous.

As president, Washington navigated the birth of political parties, maintained American neutrality during the French Revolutionary Wars, and established the cabinet system.

Legacy and Death

Washington’s final act of leadership was his voluntary retirement from the presidency after two terms, setting a standard for the peaceful transition of power. He returned to his beloved Mount Vernon, where he spent his final years overseeing his plantations.

On December 14, 1799, George Washington died at the age of 67 following a severe throat infection. His funeral reflected his dual identity as a statesman and a Mason. He was buried at Mount Vernon with a full Masonic service, his apron placed upon his casket, and his “brothers” performing the traditional honors.

Washington’s legacy is complex; while he championed “liberty” and “justice,” he remained a slave owner throughout his life, though he was the only Founding Father to stipulate in his will that his enslaved people be emancipated upon Martha’s death.

To his contemporaries and to history, he remains the “Father of His Country,” a man whose character was defined by a specific brand of stoic leadership that he often attributed to his Masonic upbringing.

President George Washington, more than a man, a Mason.