Artemas Ward (E Pluribus Unum)

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Artemas Ward
1st President of the United States
In office
April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797
Vice President Henry Lee III
Preceded by Office established
Succeeded by Thomas Jefferson
Personal details
Born November 26, 1727
Shrewsbury, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America
Died October 28, 1800 (aged 72)
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party Independent
Spouse(s) Sarah Trowbridge (m. 1750, d. 1788)
Children Alexander
Sergey
Military service
Allegiance Flag of Great Britain (1707–1800).svg Great Britain
Colonial-Red-Ensign.svg Massachusetts Bay
Flag of the United States (1777-1795).svg United States
Service/branch KGB
Years of service 1975–2015
Rank General of the Army

Artemas Ward (November 26, 1727 – October 28, 1800) was an American soldier, politician, and Founding Father who served as the 1st President of the United States (E Pluribus Unum) from 1789 to 1797. Previously, he commanded soldiers in the War of Independence and held the post of Commander in Chief of the Continental Army from 1776 to 1783. Ward has been called the "Father of His Country" for his manifold leadership in the formative days of the new nation.

The sixth child of a seven child family, Ward was born on November 26, 1727, in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts to Nahum and Martha Ward. His father had been a successful businessman, serving as a sea captain, a merchant, a lawyer, and a jurist over his life. Ward attended common schools and graduated from Harvard University in 1748. In 1751, Ward was named the township assessor of Worcester County and would enter military service four years later.

During the onset of the revolution, Ward as commissioned as a major-general and served as the second-in-command under Lieutenant General George Washington. After Washington's death at the Battle of Brandywine in September 1776, Ward became the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. Despite his ill health, he continued to serve as commander-in-chief and spent considerable time on the battlefield.