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was the commander in chief of the Continental army during the American Revolution, and later the first president of the United States. He symbolized qualities of discipline, nobleness, military orthodoxy, and persistence in hard times that his contemporaries ....

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.... party to survey lands owned by the Fairfax family west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He was related to the Fairfax family by marriage. His journey led him to take a lifelong interest in the development of western lands. In the summer of 1749 he was given the job of official surveyor for Culpeper County, and during the next two years he made many surveys for landowners on the Virginia frontier. In 1753 he was given the job of adjutant of one of the districts into which Virginia was divided, with the rank of major. Washington played an important role in the struggles preceding the outbreak of the French and Indian War. He was chosen by Governor Rober ....