George Washington was a soldier.
George Washington . He served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War , and later presided over the 1787 convention that drafted the United States Constitution . In 1775 , the Second Continental Congress commissioned him as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolution . In that command , Washington forced the British out of Boston in 1776 but was defeated and nearly captured later that year when he lost New York City . After victory had been finalized in 1783 , Washington resigned as commander-in-chief rather than seize power , proving his opposition to dictatorship and his commitment to American republicanism .