George Washington was a revolutionary.
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 . 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 . The Siege of Boston ( April 19 , 1775 -- March 17 , 1776 ) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War .