George Washington was a person.
George Washington . In 1775 , the Second Continental Congress commissioned him as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolution . In battle , however , Washington was repeatedly outmaneuvered by British generals with larger armies . Following his election as president in 1789 , he worked to unify rival factions in the fledgling nation . He was revered in life and in death ; scholarly and public polling consistently ranks him among the top three presidents in American history .