His Excellency, George Washington, by Joseph J. Ellis

Last week, I finished His Excellency. It was a good, concise read on the "Foundingest Father of them all." In short, a good insight into Washington's character, which is what Ellis set out to illustrate. The focus on character did sometimes leave me wanting to read a history rather than a biography, but on the whole it was interesting to look in on the man, rather than on the legend.

It is interesting that Washington's early life seems so unremarkable. Ellis doesn't even dwell on Washington's childhood. We do get glimpses of his work in the French and Indian War, and his efforts to get on equal footing with the British officers. What emerges is a man who, if he doesn't quite fit the term opportunistic, is at least exremely practical. This is a trait that served him well, whether in marriage or in leading a new nation.

While this practical nature seems to be at the root of Washington's success, I don't know if Ellis fully answers the question he poses in the Preface. Why did the other Founding Fathers regard Washington as their superior? Cetainly part of it was being in the right place. And what Ellis describes as "otherwordly detachment" seems to have helped. All this helped him balance the republican ideals of the Revolution with the real world practicalities needed to lead a fledgling country.

Ellis demonstrates the tension between ideals and practicality with the issue of slavery. Washington came to realize the paradox of being a slaveholder while standing for the egalitarian ideals of the Revolution. But his sense of real world economic practicalities prevented him from outright freeing his slaves. I have oversimplified this, but it serves to illustrate the point.

Usually his practical side served him better. This, as well as his sense of leaving a legacy for the nation's posterity, led him back to the national stage again and again. It is easy to picture Washington riding his white horse straight from the war, onto the Constitutional Convention, and from there to the Presidency. Ellis illuminates the choices Washington faced in the times between these events, and shows us how in the end, Washington always returned to lead when needed.

While this was a fairly concise biography (and a good place to start reading about our first president), I found there was much to learn about Washington the man. As you can tell from the above, his practical nature is what really jumped out at me, but there were other intriguing aspects of the man as well. Ellis does a credible job of showing us Washington's character.