He’s the guy on the dollar bill with the stoic, slightly grumpy expression. People talk about his wooden teeth—which were actually a painful mix of ivory, lead, and human teeth, by the way—and the cherry tree myth. But when you sit down and actually think about the math, how old was George Washington at the pivotal moments that shaped the United States? It’s not just a trivia question. Understanding his age gives you a weirdly human perspective on a man who has been turned into a marble statue by history books.
Washington lived in an era where making it to your 60s was a legitimate feat. He wasn’t a young radical like Alexander Hamilton or a seasoned philosopher-king like Benjamin Franklin. He was somewhere in the middle.
The Birthday Confusion (He Actually Had Two)
Before we even get into the numbers, we have to deal with the calendar. Honestly, it's a bit of a mess. When Washington was born, the British Empire was still using the Julian calendar. According to those records, he was born on February 11, 1731.
Then, the British Parliament decided to catch up with the rest of Europe and switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1752. This skip-ahead moved his birthday to February 22, 1732. So, depending on which century’s math you’re using, George might tell you he’s a year older or younger than the official records suggest. For our purposes, we stick with the 1732 date. It’s the one he eventually accepted himself.
A Teenager in the Wilderness
By the time he was 16, Washington wasn't worrying about prom or SATs. He was a surveyor. Imagine a 16-year-old kid today heading out into the literal, unmapped wilderness of the Blue Ridge Mountains with a chain and a compass. That’s what he did.
By 21, he was a major in the Virginia militia. This is where things got heavy. At 22, he was basically responsible for sparking the French and Indian War after a disastrous skirmish at Jumonville Glen and the subsequent surrender at Fort Necessity. He was young, arguably impulsive, and definitely over his head. You can see the trajectory of a man who had to grow up fast because the stakes were quite literally life and death for the British colonies.
How Old Was George Washington During the Revolution?
This is the big one. When Washington was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in June 1775, he was 43 years old.
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Think about that.
At 43, most people are worrying about their mortgage or their kid's braces. Washington was taking on the most powerful military force on the planet with a ragtag group of farmers and merchants. He wasn't some ancient, wise elder yet. He was in his physical prime, standing 6'2"—a giant for the time—and known for being one of the best horsemen in the colonies.
The war dragged on for eight grueling years. By the time the British finally surrendered at Yorktown in 1781, Washington was 49. When the peace treaty was signed and he finally resigned his commission in 1783 to head back to Mount Vernon, he was 51. He had spent his entire "mid-life" period in a tent, dodging smallpox and British musket balls.
The Presidency and the Final Stretch
The country wouldn't let him stay retired. You probably know the story—the Articles of Confederation were a disaster, and the new nation needed a figurehead everyone could agree on.
When he was inaugurated as the first President of the United States in 1789, Washington was 57 years old.
He served two terms, meaning he left office in 1797 at the age of 65. By this point, he was tired. Really tired. His letters from this period show a man who was desperate to just sit under his "vine and fig tree" at Mount Vernon. He struggled with his health, particularly his dentures, which made speaking and eating an absolute chore.
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The Sudden End at 67
Washington didn't get a long, quiet retirement. Just two years after leaving the presidency, he passed away.
In December 1799, he was out riding across his estate in a nasty mix of snow, hail, and rain. He didn't change out of his wet clothes before dinner. He woke up with a severe sore throat—likely epiglottitis, though historians and doctors still debate the exact diagnosis. The medical "treatment" of the day involved heavy bloodletting. They took out nearly 40% of his blood in less than 24 hours.
George Washington died on December 14, 1799. He was 67 years old.
It feels young by modern standards, doesn't it? But in the 18th century, he had outlived most of his male relatives. His father died at 49. His half-brothers died young. He knew his time was limited, which is probably why he was so obsessed with his legacy and the "precedents" he was setting.
Why These Numbers Actually Matter
Looking at Washington's age helps strip away the myth. He wasn't a god. He was a man who spent his 20s making mistakes, his 30s building a business and a home, his 40s fighting a desperate war, and his 50s and 60s trying to keep a fragile new country from imploding.
If you're ever feeling like you’re "behind" in life, just remember that Washington didn't even start his most famous "job" until he was nearly 60.
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Key Milestones At a Glance:
- 11-12 years old: His father, Augustine, dies. George misses out on a formal English education.
- 17 years old: Appointed surveyor for Culpeper County.
- 21 years old: Sent by the Governor of Virginia to warn the French to leave the Ohio Valley.
- 23 years old: Survives the Battle of the Monongahela, where two horses were shot out from under him.
- 26 years old: Marries Martha Custis and "retires" (the first time) to be a planter.
- 43 years old: Takes command of the Revolution.
- 57 years old: Becomes President.
- 67 years old: Passes away at Mount Vernon.
What You Can Do With This Information
Next time you see a portrait of Washington, look at the eyes. If it's the famous Gilbert Stuart portrait (the one on the dollar), he was about 64. He had just gotten a new set of dentures that didn't fit right, which is why his mouth looks so tight and distorted.
If you want to dive deeper into how his age influenced his decisions, you should check out the primary sources. The Mount Vernon Digital Encyclopedia is an incredible resource for seeing his actual letters from these different stages of life. Reading a letter from 22-year-old George vs. 60-year-old George is like looking at two different people.
To get a real sense of his physicality, visit Mount Vernon if you can. Standing in his study and seeing the height of his desk gives you a much better "vibe" of the man than any textbook ever could. You realize he wasn't just a figure in history—he was a guy who was tall, athletic, and eventually, just a very tired 67-year-old who wanted to go home.
Practical Steps for History Buffs:
- Cross-reference your sources: When reading about the Revolution, always check the ages of the other players. It’s wild to realize Washington (43) was leading people like Marquis de Lafayette, who was only 19 when he arrived.
- Visit the sources: Use the Library of Congress digital collections to search for "Washington's Diaries." You can see exactly what he was doing on his birthdays throughout the years.
- Contextualize health: Research 18th-century medicine to understand why 67 was actually a "ripe old age." It puts his stamina during the winter at Valley Forge into a much more impressive light.
The math of Washington’s life shows a man who was constantly forced into roles he wasn't necessarily ready for, yet he aged into them with a level of discipline that defined a nation. He didn't have a lifetime to figure it out; he just had 67 years, and he made every one of them count.
Next Steps for Deepening Your Knowledge:
- Analyze the "Two Birthdays" Phenomenon: Research the Calendar Act of 1750 to understand how the shift from Julian to Gregorian affected historical record-keeping across the British colonies.
- Compare Leadership Ages: Look up the ages of the "Big Six" Founding Fathers in 1776. You’ll find a massive gap between Benjamin Franklin (70) and Alexander Hamilton (roughly 19 or 21), which explains a lot about the internal friction of the era.
- Study 18th-Century Longevity: Investigate the actuarial realities of the 1700s. While "average life expectancy" was low due to infant mortality, if you survived childhood, your chances of reaching 60 were much higher than most people think.