The Life of George Washington

by John Marshall, Wayne LaPierre (Introduction)

America’s first president has captivated our interest for more than two centuries, but no biographer of George Washington knew him with the authenticity, intimacy, and depth of understanding as John Marshall exhibited in his book The Life of George Washington .

This biography was begun in 1799 following Washington’s death, when chief justice Marshall was granted by Washington’s surviving family full access to all of his records, papers, and personal archives. The result is a story not only of George Washington, but also of America’s founding.

Marshall covers every major event in Washington’s personal life and in his public role as a founding father, including his childhood, his early career, his resignation as colonel, his marriage to Martha, the invasion of Canada, early negotiations with the British, the crossing of the Delaware, the state of Washington’s army during the Revolution, the treason of Benedict Arnold, the official announcement of the election of Washington as president, meetings of Congress, a threatened war with France toward the end of his life, his death, and his character.

Marshall’s biography of George Washington was first published in Philadelphia in five volumes, between 1804 and 1807, and today, copies of this first edition are among the rarest and most expensive of antiquarian books. This edition is an exact facsimile of the one-volume edition published in 1857, also a very rare book, which was specially edited and abridged for a general audience by John Marshall himself.

Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Genres: History, Biography, American History, Nonfiction, Classics, Ebooks

384 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1807

About the author

John Marshall was an American statesman and jurist who shaped American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court a center of power. Marshall was Chief Justice of the United States, serving from February 4, 1801, until his death in 1835. He served in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1799, to June 7, 1800, and, under President John Adams, was Secretary of State from June 6, 1800, to March 4, 1801. Marshall was from the Commonwealth of Virginia and a leader of the Federalist Party.

The longest serving Chief Justice in Supreme Court history, Marshall dominated the Court for over three decades (a term outliving his own Federalist Party) and played a significant role in the development of the American legal system. Most notably, he established that the courts are entitled to exercise judicial review, the power to strike down laws that violate the Constitution. Thus, Marshall has been credited with cementing the position of the judiciary as an independent and influential branch of government. Furthermore, Marshall made several important decisions relating to Federalism, shaping the balance of power between the federal government and the states during the early years of the republic. In particular, he repeatedly confirmed the supremacy of federal law over state law and supported an expansive reading of the enumerated powers.

Reviews

[Vic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am doggedly working my way through this book. I think it is worth the effort, even though many reviewers here have denigrated it. This is not a Cliff Notes summary, nor even a modern biography. It is a contemporaneous account of the development of a unique American identity and the part played in it by our first president.

Mr. Marshall lived at the same time as Washington and was with the Continental Army as a Virginia militiaman during the entire campaign, including that winter at Valley Forge. The language is that in use by the educated man of the eighteenth century; consequently, it can be difficult reading. He also named many of the officers involved without always indicating whether they were British or American. This also makes it hard to wade through. But the payoff to your perseverance is a very detailed understanding of what was at stake and the personalities and motivations of the combatants.

[Andy]

This was part of my "month of reading about George Washington". Though with 5 volumes, I did not finish it in the allotted month, and am still digging through it. This is by far the most detailed of the Washington biographies I read, and the only one that deals with his presidency in much detail.

I had not originally planned to read this as part of my month of George Washington, as 5 volumes is a bit daunting. But then my mom sent me a set of all five volumes that originally belonged to my great uncle Mick.

I will add more to the review once I finish all five volumes.

[Malik Aljabri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical biography. Finish it as #AudioBook

[MJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

It really did not focus on George Washington but more on events surrounding his life. About half the book dealt with the American Revolutionary War.

[Noah · Rating 2 out of 5]

No disrespect to John Marshall who's intent was to honor and document the history of the father of our country...but unless you are a historian searching for new, random facts, this book is pretty bad. It goes from small conflict to small conflict endlessly with no rhyme or reason other than chronology.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't believe I read the whole thing. It is difficult to read and is missing so much. I wanted to know and understand what he thought and why. I did not get that. This is best used a a reference book, not as a book to be read and enjoyed.

[Lis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never read anything that comes close to matching the boringness of this book.

[Louie Verile JR. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful it's like a two year old wrote it

[John Rzepka · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one long book.......

[Kevin Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a tough slog but worth the read. Marshall was Washington's contemporary - probably the closest we will get to the real Washington and his travails.

[Lynette C Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't like George

Good book, very interesting. He accomplished a lot in his short life. So glad we had men like him when this country was being formed.

[Gale Tollefson]

Review of the Life of George Washintom

Great. This was an excellently biography of Washington and also a very good historic review of the early events of the founding of the U.S..

[Robert Muller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really a biography of Washington, but a history of the colonial period politics. Decent writing, but there were a lot of things that Marshall didn't know at the time, like the details of the Constitutional Convention, and a lot of things that weren't of particular concern to him, like the impact of slavery on Washington or indeed on the colonies. He does quote extensively from Washington's correspondence, which is both good and bad: you get the original writing, but you don't get much context or interpretation (and Washington was a bit prolix, especially when writing to the Congress during the War about money :) ). There was virtually no experiential material, so don't go to this expecting revelations from somebody who was there: you might as well be reading Flexner or even Freeman. Humphrey's book The Life of General Washington is actually better for that, and a lot shorter :) .