If you are below a certain age, the moniker ‘Indispensable Man’ may not be familiar to you. But, for those of us grew up in the 1950’s and earlier, the title is synonymous with the name George Washington. (I attended Washington Elementary School, but nobody names their school Washington anymore. Indeed, somewhere in
The Education of George Washington: How a Forgotten Book Shaped the Character of a Hero was written by a man uniquely qualified to author such a biography. Austin Washington is George Washington’s great, etc. grand-nephew. He grew up in the house owned and occupied by one of George Washington’s brothers. Beyond his familial ties to the George Washington estate, he is also a delightful scribe. With humor, and love, and no small amount of patriotic pride, Austin Washington provides insights you’ll not find anywhere else. I say that, having read Ron Chernow’s Washington: A Life (2010), and John Marshall’s The Life of George Washington (1838), among others. I’m currently tackling Douglas Southall Freeman’s magisterial
I came across this book in
Austin Washington found an obscure note in George Washington’s own handwriting regarding the importance to him of A Panegyrick to the Memory of His Grace Frederick, Late Duke of Schonberg, a book published in London in 1690. (That story is told in the Prologue.) The
George Washington, sadly, is not revered as he was even fifty years ago, and many of the lessons of his life are now mocked as
I want you to read this book for the sheer pleasure you’ll derive from it; but also, please share it. It’s an important contribution to America’s future.
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. All performance referenced is historical and is no guarantee of future results.