George Washington: Ordinary Man, Extraordinary Leader

Twayne's World Leaders Series #80

by Robert F. Jones

George Ordinary Man, Extraordinary Leader is a revised edition of the author’s George Washington, published in 1979. Totally updated to include the author’s extensive research conducted in the intervening two decades, the book is a concise but complete biography of Washington as gentleman planter, colonial rebel, American general, and U.S. president. The book provides a full and even-handed portrait of the first president, with special emphasis on how he took his rather commonplace talents and transformed them with self-discipline into extraordinary leadership in a time of turmoil. The book pays special attention to Washington’s struggles during the Revolution and his tenure as president and deals with his gradual conversion from advocate of nonpartisan politics to a strict Federalist. This book synthesizes the current research in a readable style that affords the general reader an understanding of Washington’s special character and his vital role in the making of the United States.

180 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1989

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly serviceable biography of George Washington. It is concise and measured, neither looking for easy criticism nor over-praising his achievements. For me it did what I wanted, giving me unvarnished facts of his life, primarily in a political dimension, but I have the feeling that anyone with a more in depth knowledge of the War of Independance might find it quite shallow. His personal life, in so far as it extends beyond the management of Mount Vernon, is pretty much left unexplored.

[Jon Scott-sheldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief, well written and well balanced biography of George Washington. While Jones did not go into great detail, he succinctly covers all periods of Washington’s life. If you have not read any of the more recent biographies (e.g. Chernow’s or Ellis’) this is well worth picking up. It will give you a good sense of Washington’s life and historical importance in the American Revolution and early formation of the newly independent United States and creation of the Presidency.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short book. My review's brevity matches the book’s short length and the fact that it’s the only accessible edition I could find. (A newer version reportedly includes additional material not in this one.)

I’m not deeply familiar with Washington’s life yet. I have Ron Chernow’s biography queued up for May or June 2026, and Joseph J. Ellis’s may still be buried somewhere on my hard drive. This slim volume felt like the perfect warmup exercise. It’s a respectable adult biography—straightforward, never patronizing, and clearly not written for young people or children—that gives you a clear basic chronology without turning into a massive doorstopper. Jones doesn’t shy away from Washington’s human side. He writes about the general’s terrible temper tantrums and notes how much Washington enjoyed flattery while struggling when it was absent.

One revelation for me was learning that, according to Jones, Washington never truly loved Martha Custis, the wealthy widow he married. He had ardently loved Sally Fairfax, who was married to one of his close friends and did not reciprocate. Jones says George and Martha ultimately developed a quiet, tested affection, though it lacked the passion he once felt for Sally. The author stresses there is no evidence that Washington ever cheated on Martha; he exercised the iron self-control for which he became famous.

The book presents his church attendance more as a social duty and a means to achieve local political ends than as an expression of deep personal faith. It doesn’t explore his spirituality—or many other aspects of his life—in great depth.

Jones also shows how Washington’s perspective on slavery gradually changed. The older he got, the more detestable he found the practice, but debts left him unable to free his slaves by the time of his death.

Jones’s writing style is straightforward and easy to read, if not particularly exciting. I started the book one night because of my usual sleep troubles and finished it early the next morning. It was very much a quick, one-and-done experience. While not forgettable, it’s not a biography I’d rush to bring up in conversation or point to as a top-tier reference. There are certainly stronger, more substantial works out there. Still, for anyone wanting a solid high-level look at the nation’s first president, this one does the job—and Jones debunks the cherry tree myth along the way. It’s exactly the kind of no-frills entry point that gets you oriented before diving into the doorstoppers.

[Joseph Fountain · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review of George Washington: Ordinary Man, Extraordinary Leader

[Chanel Earl]

I am just over halfway done with this one, but it is my second Washington Biography this year and I liked the first better, so I am stopping. This book does a great job describing the events of Washington's life, but little else. I wish it would tell me what all the events mean. Or at least give me a little interpretation.

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

What's in the book is good, but it is too short!