First Entrepreneur: How George Washington Built His—and the Nation’s—Prosperity by Edward G. Lengel (review)

Edward G. Lengel, director of the Papers of George Washington, knows a great deal about his subject. Having worked at the papers since 1997, Lengel has spent the majority of his academic career with the United States’ first president. Working at such a project confers considerable benefits. Above all, Lengel’s proximity to Washington’s vast correspondence has enabled him to show a side of Washington that has gone under the radar—his entrepreneurial skills.

In nine fast-paced chapters, Lengel takes readers through Washington’s life. He selectively focuses on well-known moments and periods while framing Washington as an astute businessman. In First Entrepreneur: How George Washington Built His—and the Nation’s—Prosperity, then, we see how Washington married well, maintained a fruitful estate, and commanded the Continental army as if it were a business. He thought ahead to ensure that its workforce—that is, the soldiers—were ready to go on. Equally important, he created an “administrative framework” that remained “in place until the enemy called it quits” (p. 122). Indeed, for Washington, the components of his army had to remain intact. The army had to be consistent and had to survive, and it did; and the general had to be decisive. Washington fought for supplies and manpower while skillfully attempting to maintain morale.

Washington deployed many of the tried and tested business skills he had come to learn, perhaps even master, since the Revolutionary War. Most important, as president Washington desired to use the government to encourage the development, growth, and stabilization of entrepreneurial ventures. He met entrepreneurs and visited farms and factories. While appreciating that Alexander Hamilton’s financial plan would encourage partisanship, Washington recognized the overall importance of stabilizing the nation’s economy. This fact, among other items mentioned in this short biography, helped the United States find its feet alongside other great world powers, particularly during the war-torn 1790s.

There are, however, some small issues with First Entrepreneur. Lengel’s claim that Washington, it seems, almost single-handedly built and secured the early United States’ economy is audacious. This contention slights the work of the thousands of “ordinary” Americans, enslaved and free, who directly or indirectly contributed to securing the nation, as many historians have endeavored to show. Many will also take issue with the dust jacket’s claim that Washington was the greatest American businessman of any generation. Also noteworthy is Lengel’s use of the term entrepreneur, which, as per the Oxford English Dictionary Online, was not in regular use until 1852.

First Entrepreneur neatly fits into the “Founders Chic” category. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. Academics, students, and history enthusiasts alike will take a great deal from this book. Not only does it offer a focused biography of Washington’s early years with interesting insight into his entrepreneurial acumen, but also First Entrepreneur is wonderfully written. With elegant, engaging prose and, as one might expect, a firm command of Washington’s papers, Edward Lengel adds further complexities to the American Cincinnatus. And given that so much has already been written about Washington, the fact that Lengel has offered new information should not be underestimated. Indeed, First Entrepreneur is a strong piece of scholarship, one with which Washington scholars will have to contend.