George Washington was a soldier.
George Washington ( [ ˈdʒɔɹdʒ_ˈwɒʃɪŋtən ] -- , 1799 ) was an American politician and soldier who served as the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797 and was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States . In his youth , he became a senior officer in the colonial militia during the first stages of the French and Indian War . 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 .