George Washington, Entrepreneur

How Our Founding Father's Private Business Pursuits Changed America and the World

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Pub Date 30 Jun 2020 | Archive Date 16 Dec 2020
St. Martin's Press | All Points Books

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Description

A business biography of George Washington, focusing on his many innovations and inventions.

George Washington: general, statesman...businessman? Most people don't know that Washington was one of the country's first true entrepreneurs, responsible for innovations in several industries. In George Washington, Entrepreneur, John Berlau presents a fresh, surprising take on our forefather's business pursuits.

History has depicted Washington as a gifted general and political pragmatist, not an intellectual heavyweight. But he was a patron of inventors and inveterate tinkerer, and just as intelligent as Jefferson or Franklin. His library was filled with books on agriculture, history, and philosophy. He was the first to breed horses with donkeys to produce the American mule. On his estate, he grew countless varieties of trees and built a greenhouse full of exotic fruits, herbs, and plants. Unlike his Virginia neighbors who remained wedded to tobacco, Washington planted seven types of wheat. His state-of-the-art mill produced flour which he exported to Europe in sacks stamped "G. Washington"—one of the very first branded food products. Mount Vernon was also home to a distillery and became one of the largest American whiskey producers of the era.

Berlau's portrait of Washington, drawn in large part from his journals and extensive correspondence, presents a side of him we haven't seen before. It is sure to delight readers of presidential biography and business history.

A business biography of George Washington, focusing on his many innovations and inventions.

George Washington: general, statesman...businessman? Most people don't know that Washington was one of the...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781250172600
PRICE $28.99 (USD)
PAGES 272

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Featured Reviews

I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

This book is a look at George Washing in a new role, that of the Entrepreneur. While many people are aware of President Washington’s role as Revolutionary Soldier, as a Founding Father to our great nation and as our first President, they are not as aware of his role as an entrepreneur who influenced many innovations during the development of America.

This is a fascinating look at his life as a farmer and his innovative changes to the farming practices during his life-time, his innovative use of crops to enhance his profits and develop new ways of keeping the land producing better crops. He was among the first American farmers to utilize the use of Greenhouses to grow food that was not otherwise conducive to the climate in Virginia. He used the Potomac River to create a Gristmill in order to supply flour to the colonialists, he exported fish from the river to Britain, among other innovations to his farm.

Many writers of his life do not consider him as a great innovator, reading this book may change their minds. Having been to Mount Vernon as a tourist I was surprised to see so much of his farming industry that was creative and profitable. He was definitely a man looking to the future and finding ways to preserve the farming way of life. If you are interested in George Washington as a man rather than a politician, this is a book that meets that criteria. Take a look at the George you haven’t known.

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18th-century, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, commerce

Don't expect an unbiased review. Our family has been involved in American Revolutionary War re-enacting for years, and GW has always been our Commander In Chief.
But this book is about the whole man and his partner in life and in business, Martha, and how they were exceptional business persons without being crooks. I remember somewhere coming across a statement he made to the effect that he was "just a simple farmer." Ja. I've been to Mt Vernon and have seen the distillery, grist mill, etc. He diversified crops and discarded tobacco as a poor investment long before it was proved over a hundred years later. He involved himself in improvements in Virginia, and when the taxes on ironwork, wool, and other atrocities encroached on the good of the colonies he made the mind of the people known. There are a lot more instances and insights clarified in this book, but I think more people should invest in it besides those of us who follow the scent of cookfires and cannon fire.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!!

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This was such a unique look at our first a President. I had no idea that he was responsible for mules being created or that he owned a distillery. The business side is one that we don’t hear about with Washington, but these accomplishments are important to know about, as they give a true picture of the personality our President had.

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