George Washington may be the most famous American who ever lived, and certainly is one of the most admired. But

although he has been heavily mythologized, it is no myth that the man who led Americans’ fight for independence and

whose two terms in office largely defined the presidency was the most highly respected individual among a generation

of formidable personalities. In First and Always, celebrated historian Peter Henriques illuminates Washington’s life,

more fully explicating his character and his achievements.

Arranged thematically, the book’s chapters focus on important and controversial issues, achieving a depth not

possible in a traditional biography. First and Always examines factors that coalesced to make Washington such a

remarkable and admirable leader, while also chronicling how Washington mistreated enslaved workers, engaged in

extreme partisanship, and responded with excessive sensitivity to criticism. Henriques portrays a Washington deeply

ambitious and always hungry for public adoration, even as he disclaimed such desires. In its account of an amazing life,

First and Always shows how, despite profound flaws, George Washington nevertheless deserves to rank as the nation’s

most consequential leader, without whom the American experiment in republican government would have died

in infancy