Mount Rushmore, a giant sculpture of four American presidents, from left to right features George Washington, the first President of the United States and the first President to be carved onto Mount Rushmore. After Washington comes Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the Declaration of Independence and spearheaded the Louisiana Purchase (1803). Next in line is Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, champion of the Square Deal, and finally, Abraham Lincoln, whose leadership during the Civil War held America together, and led toward the abolition of slavery. George Washington George Washington’s presidential portrait. Source: The White House, Washington DC   George Washington (1732-1799) was a colonial military leader, American revolutionary and founding father. He held two of the most important positions in the history of early America: General of the Continental Army (1775-1783) and 1st President of the United States (1789-1797).    Born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, Washington hailed from a prominent planter family. He worked as a land surveyor and mapmaker before transitioning to a military career in the colonial Virginia Militia. He became a colonel and played …