7. He Opposed Political Parties

Being opposed to even the idea of political parties, Washington didn’t belong to any. He was the only president who was elected without being affiliated with a party of any kind.

6. He Was the Only President to Receive 100 Percent of the Votes

Both terms of presidency that Washington served were the result of a unanimous decision. Although he served two terms as president, Washington agreed to the second term with much reluctance.

5. He Didn’t Live in the White House

Washington oversaw the construction of the White House and laid the first cornerstone, but never lived in it. He signed an Act of Congress at the end of the year 1790, which declared that a 10 mile square was to be set aside for the construction of the White House. The construction was completed the year following Washington’s death.

4. He Kept Excellent Ledgers of All Expenses and Profits

The ledgers written by Washington still exist today and they show how thorough he was about maintaining his own financial records. He preferred to do his own book keeping, which made it much easier for him to keep track of every penny.

3. He Was a Freemason

1752 was the year Washington was initiated into Freemasonry, which is a fraternal organization that has been around since the late sixteenth century.

2. He Had at Least 5 Different Nicknames

These nicknames were; The American Fabius, The Old Fox, The Sage of Mount Vernon, The American Cincinnatus, and Father of his Country. Timothy Pickering was the person who came up with the nickname American Fabius, while Lord Cornwallis was the person responsible for attaching the nickname The Old Fox to Washington.

1. He Volunteered to Quit after His Second Term

Americans seemed to be satisfied with Washington’s accomplishments during both terms of his presidency. Due to this, he most likely would have remained in office up until his death. However, he was more than happy to not have a third term in office, especially after his reluctant second term.

They myth of Washington’s wooden teeth will always be around. He had four sets of dentures that have each been scanned to see what they were made of. They contained gold, ivory, lead, and a combination of human and horse or donkey teeth, but definitely no wood! What interesting facts have you heard that you think should have been on this list of 7 facts on George Washington?

Top Photo Credit: Maulleigh