His Excellency: George Washington

by Joseph J. Ellis

His Excellency: George Wa...

by
Joseph J. Ellis

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2,075 ratings, 3.87 average rating, 404 reviews (more data...)

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2		3%
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2004 by Random House Large Print

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Hard Cover and Paperback

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United States

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A biography on the whole life of Washington. A most thorough examination of his life before during and after the fight for Independence. Great informa…more

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Feb 07, 2008

Nate Cooley rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

bookshelves: books-i-read-in-2007

Read in August, 2007

In "His Excellency," Joseph Ellis has written a very readable and concise synopsis on the life of George Washington. Though more recognizable for his works "Founding Brothers" and "American Sphinx" (about Thomas Jefferson), Ellis successfully undertakes the task of illuminating probably the most important figure in American history.

Probably the most apparent burden struck by Ellis, and a theme readily illusive throughout his book, is the author's effort...more In "His Excellency," Joseph Ellis has written a very readable and concise synopsis on the life of George Washington. Though more recognizable for his works "Founding Brothers" and "American Sphinx" (about Thomas Jefferson), Ellis successfully undertakes the task of illuminating probably the most important figure in American history.

Probably the most apparent burden struck by Ellis, and a theme readily illusive throughout his book, is the author's effort to avoid what he terms a certain "hyperbolic syndrome" that is usually associated with any critical discussion of George Washington. In his introduction, Ellis rhetorically asks how we can "accurately map the terrain" of Washington's life "without imposing the impossible expectations." Ellis appropriately warns that when examining Washington, "if we find ourselves being merely celebratory, or its judgmental twin, dismissive, we should rub our eyes and look again."

Ellis thereby begins with the premise that, as a biographer, anyone ought to begin their quest "looking for a man rather than a statute, and any statutes that are encountered should be quickly knocked off their pedestals." Ellis effectively wipes the Washington-slate clean; he begins tabla rasa and ultimately does a great job at painting a portrait of Washington that, not-coincidentally, is akin to other statutesque conclusions previosuly concluded by others.

My one complaint with the book involves the author's style. Often times, Ellis will draw conclusions about Washington's character and/or ideology which are based on statements to the effect of "... all of the evidence points to thus." In coming across these repeated affirmations, I found myself wanting to know the details; wanting for Ellis to specifically delineate the evidence. Overall though, the author does a great job of inserting Washington's own words and the words of his peers and the book is adequately footnoted.

On a positive note, Ellis, as with every good biography, deviates from the comfortable, all-too-common, historical-narrative-chronology (i.e., 'X' happened, then 'Y' happened, and after that 'Z' happened). Instead, at appropriate times, Ellis grasps certain themes throughout the book and interesting weaves them into the narrative coming back to them repeatedly.

For example (and probably most importantly), one prominent topic throughout the book involved Washington's philosophy regarding slavery. At certain points in the book, Ellis illuminates Washington's then-current view on the topic, or more appropriately Washington's wrestle with and evolving view on the institution. Though anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of Washington knows that he ulitmately emancipated his slaves upon Martha's death via his will, Ellis does an outstanding job in ellucidating the nuances of Washington's ever-evolving philosophy.

"His Excellency" is a great starting point for any study of the life of George Washington. Again Joseph Ellis has demonstrated his ability to bring a larger-than-life historical figures to a wide audience. I would highly recommend this book. (less)

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Mar 20, 2008

Jamie rated it:

(review of isbn 1400040310)

bookshelves: history-and-biography

Read in March, 2008

I just returned from a visit to Washington, D.C. and Mount Vernon, so I'm in a patriotic mood. This is a very readable, enjoyable biography that attempts to explain Washington's character and motivations and to describe the influences which shaped his decisions.

The book is fairly short and is written at a bird's-eye view, mostly lacking in the kind of human detail that I usually enjoy in a biography. It left me hungry for more details: I wanted to know more about his personal exper...more

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Sep 22, 2009

Sara added it (review of isbn 1400032539)

Read in October, 2009

First response: Ellis pontificates beyond my comfort level. I enjoy grand sentences, but this is way to much. His flourishing, over-bloated style does little to represent Washington (who, Ellis admits, was not a high intellectual.)

He definitely covers the highs and lows, but he offers an incredible amount of personal opinion and unsubstantiated analysis, and even second-guesses motives. I am glad to know about Washington's life, and to have insight about him, but I have enjoyed very...more

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Feb 03, 2009

Scott rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

Read in January, 2007

Not only a great biography, but it was a fairly quick read, too. Great insight into a truly great man who understood his place in history, and, according to National Treasure 2, had some sweet tunnels on his property. ;)

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Jan 27, 2009

Derek rated it:

(review of isbn 0571212123)

bookshelves: biography, history, non-fiction, u-s--history

This book by Ellis, his best that I've read, is a great examination of the life of this most revered and yet most enigmatic President. Despite a dearth of personal primary sources, Ellis does a fine job looking behind the mask to see the character off Washington. A man of great passions and ambition, Washington had a keen understanding of the role of perception, and carefully crafted the regal public persona so remarkable. As a tactician, he does not rank among the greatest military minds, nor w...more

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Dec 27, 2008

Jeff added it (review of isbn 1400032539)

bookshelves: biography, history

Read in December, 2008

I listened to Ellis' excellent biography of George Washington on CD in my car during my commutes over a period of about a week, saturating my mind in early American lives and times. Ellis' contribution in Founding Brothers was to remind us that the 'founding fathers' were not a group of stodgy old men who worked in harmony. Rather, they were a shifting mass of young men with monumental egos, petty rivalries, fickle alliances, and intense hatreds. He continued in this vein with His Excellency,...more I listened to Ellis' excellent biography of George Washington on CD in my car during my commutes over a period of about a week, saturating my mind in early American lives and times. Ellis' contribution in Founding Brothers was to remind us that the 'founding fathers' were not a group of stodgy old men who worked in harmony. Rather, they were a shifting mass of young men with monumental egos, petty rivalries, fickle alliances, and intense hatreds. He continued in this vein with His Excellency, focusing on the relationships between these principal figures in American history, as well as their foibles. I especially enjoyed learning more about Washington and his protégés (Lafayette and Hamilton), tensions with Jefferson (who, despite his status as a demigod at the University of Virginia, where I went to medical school, seems to have been quite manipulative and two-faced). Since I listened to this book while detoxing from two-party politics of the 2008 presidential elections, I was intrigued to learn that the two-party system had it's roots in Jefferson's resistance of Hamilton and Washington's vision of federal authority and in the interest of southerners 'state's rights' (i.e. to preserve slave labor). Washington's attitudes about his own slaves, understood in historical context, are fascinating. Clearly, he considered them chattel, but also refused to sell them if this meant breaking up families. Accordingly, he retired to Mount Vernon responsible for a growing, in-bread 'family' of almost 300 slaves who remained dependent on him until freed in his will. History will probably never record what became of them.

Washington’s relationship with Martha was hardly described at all, perhaps because she destroyed their letters just prior to her own death.

As a physician, I was surprised to be on the edge of my seat while learning of Washington's death to epiglottis (and of the ignorant attempts of the time's best doctors to treat it with successive bleedings).

I guess it's time to re-read McCulloch's John Adams...
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Dec 23, 2009

Steven Peterson rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

Read in January, 2007

Joseph Ellis' "His Excellency: George Washington" is a well done brief biography of George Washington. Washington, surely, could be the subject of one of those massive bios, such as Chernow's "Alexander Hamilton" or "Titan" or Nasaw's "Andrew Carnegie" or Cannadine's "Mellon." On the other hand, not all biographies need to be so massive. Ellis' work is insightful, provides a sense of Washington the person, and outlines the growth of his character...more Joseph Ellis' "His Excellency: George Washington" is a well done brief biography of George Washington. Washington, surely, could be the subject of one of those massive bios, such as Chernow's "Alexander Hamilton" or "Titan" or Nasaw's "Andrew Carnegie" or Cannadine's "Mellon." On the other hand, not all biographies need to be so massive. Ellis' work is insightful, provides a sense of Washington the person, and outlines the growth of his character, as he controls his ambitions. In 275 pages, we get a pretty good perspective on "the father of our country."

This biography tries to steer a middle course between two different approaches to Washington. As Ellis says (page xi): "In Washington's case the arc moves from Parson Weems' fabrications about a saintly lad who could not tell a lie to dismissive verdicts about the deadest, whitest male in American history." In placing him among other of the Founders, Ellis makes, I think, an insightful point (page xiv): "It seems to me that Benjamin Franklin was wiser than Washington; Alexander Hamilton was more brilliant; John Adams was better read; James Madison was more politically astute. Yet each and all of these prominent figures acknowledged that Washington was their unquestioned superior." By the way, lines such as these make me scratch my head as to the critics of this book who attack the author for denigrating Washington. Parson Weems and his fantasies should not guide our consideration of Washington. He was a human being, not a demigod. And this book demonstrates why we should hold him in high esteem (while also realizing his human foibles and weaknesses).

In his death and afterwards, Washington also demonstrated why he stood apart from other Founders. Jefferson was uncomfortable with slavery, but did nothing about his discomfort. Washington was uncomfortable, and worked to free his slaves upon his death. His will represented (page 263) ". . .his personal rejection of slavery. As we have seen, he had been groping toward this position for many reasons and for more than thirty years, more gradually than we might prefer, more steadily than most of his fellow slave owners in Virginia. He was, in fact, the only politically prominent member of the Virginia dynasty to act on Jefferson's famous words in the Declaration of Independence by freeing his slaves."

The book provides a straightforward narrative of Washington's life. From the travails of his youth, to his efforts at developing a trade (e.g., as a surveyor), to his effort to becoming a military officer (culminating in both disaster and reputation in the French and Indian War), to his involvement in debates over independence in his own colony (Virginia), to his accession to general in the Continental Army, to his holding the army together under straitened circumstances, to his role in moving toward a Constitutional Convention, to his service as the first President. Noteworthy is the treatment of his learning to be the primary military commander during the Revolutionary War. Early on, his instincts told him to be aggressive; a number of defeats followed from this. Given the context of the war, this was not a winning strategy. He learned to be more careful and, following a more Fabian strategy, grew as commander and ended up triumphant at Yorktown.

In his conclusion, Ellis notes that Washington had a towering ambition, a foul temper, and, understanding this, Washington fought to contain both of these characteristics with his single minded strength. He left office after two terms as president when he could have stayed on. He stepped down as General after the Revolutionary War when he need not necessarily have behaved as Cincinnatus. As a result, he set an example that reverberated through the next century of American history.

This is a nice, although brief, rendering of Washington's life. The author makes nuanced judgments of Washington as a person and his legacy. As a result, he comes across as more than a cardboard caricature and as someone who genuinely deserves our respect and appreciation. As Ellis concludes (page 275), ". . .he understood that the greater glory resided in posterity's judgment." Unlike Napoleon, Caesar, Mao, and Cromwell, he did not hold on to the end, thus eroding his historical reputation and his ultimate effectiveness to the country that he had helped found.

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Nov 09, 2009

Jenn rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

bookshelves: non-fiction, read-2009

Read in November, 2009

A quick and jaunty history of George Washington's life and major decisions. This is an easy-to-read, fast-paced biography by noted historian Joseph Ellis that seeks to answer basically one pressing question about America's Founding Father: was he really that good?

Ellis's answer is a qualified yes. He argues that it's almost always what Washington didn't do that made him such a great and laudable leader. His decision to leave the presidency after two terms instead of staying in office...more

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Aug 14, 2009

Adelina Bryant rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

Read in August, 2009

"For the rest of his life, all arguments based on the principle of mutual trust devoid of mutal interest struck his as sentimental nonsense." Washington was an extremely smart man militarily, politically, and otherwise. Though uneducated, he proved that he could go far just by listening and observing. He took advice well and though sometimes unforgiving, really knew how to handle hard situations. He fought hard and thought ahead, usually making astoundingly correct predictions about wh...more

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Dec 20, 2008

Brian Steed added it (review of isbn 1400032539)

Read in January, 2005

Whereas David McCullough’s 1776 is effused with the idealism that drove the “spirit of ’76,” Ellis casts a more pragmatic light on the life of Washington, though he is no less admiring of the man. Although McCullough’s account is excellent history, his portrayal of Washington still carries some of the mythology that we attach to him, and fills you with admiration at his willingness to risk his well-off life for the sake of “the noble cause”. Ellis’ portrayal is more down to ea...more

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Dec 10, 2008

Ryan Lawson rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

Read in December, 2008

Joseph J. Ellis's His Excellency: George Washington
Wk.34; Bk.34

This was the second Ellis book that I have read, and I don't think it will be my last. I still think Joseph J. Ellis comes off as preachy at times and there is no doubt in my mind (as I have said before) that he is a Fox News loving Republican because of his apparent love and high regard for the Federalists.

However, His Excellency was a better text than Founding Brothers, and I think that it is du...more

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Oct 05, 2009

Greg rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

For some time now I've wanted to find some book that helped with separating the fact from the fancy regarding the life and works of George Washington. This was a good choice I believe.
I was able to see the very human side of Washington and his very mortal mistakes. He was not a womanizer as has been rumored, though he did seem to have some feelings in his younger days for another mans wife, but nothing intimate.
Washington stated again and again that the hand of providence had spar...more

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Jan 31, 2010

Joe rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

Read in February, 2010

I was fairly disappointed with this book. George Washington is the figure in American history who I admire the most, and I have no problem with criticism, however in this case the author's criticism was an irritant and distraction, and which only made me dislike the author, not the subject. His writing style was also inappropriate for a historical biography, reading more like a magazine article or newspaper editorial. However, he did a good job of researching and presenting the facts, only he...more

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Feb 22, 2010

Susan rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

bookshelves: history-biography-memoir, u-s-presidents

Read in March, 2010

3 1/2 stars. Right off the bat, I learned a word new to me: hegemony. That's always a plus. Of course, if I were better read, especially in history, I probably would have learned it years ago, but hey, I'm not above admitting my ignorance.

Overall, I enjoyed this biography of the first U. S. president. While there is inevitably quite a bit of history in it, the book is more about the man than about the history he shaped. Occasionally, it seemed a bit dry to me and once in awhile...more

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Sep 07, 2009

ShaLisa rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

Read in September, 2009

What a great man. George Washington was honorable, with excellent judgement, and, I believe, foreordained. Recognizing the strengths of our Nation today is easily done, and to learn of Washington's intrigal part in the founding of such priciples is admirable. He had an understanding that seemed to surpass most but because of his uncanny popularity, his vision of a unified, self-governed country was adopted by the people.

I was interested to learn about things such as his interest...more

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May 29, 2009

Kelly rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

Read in June, 2009

So my thirst for history continues...I found this to be a good book about George Washington...LONG and a little dry in places but truly one of those that first, knocks the man off of the pedestal we put him and then second, places him back up there for the right reasons.

Washington was not a perfect, humble, public serving man. He was someone who came from little and married extremely well! In his marriage to Martha Dandridge Custis he gained a considerable amount of property, wealt...more So my thirst for history continues...I found this to be a good book about George Washington...LONG and a little dry in places but truly one of those that first, knocks the man off of the pedestal we put him and then second, places him back up there for the right reasons.

Washington was not a perfect, humble, public serving man. He was someone who came from little and married extremely well! In his marriage to Martha Dandridge Custis he gained a considerable amount of property, wealth and family. Washington never fathered any biological children but in his marriage to Martha became 'a guardian' for Jackie and Patsy, both who would die before both Martha and George.

He was the strong force behind American independence, but was reluctant to give up his valuable goods from England shipped to him on a regular basis. When the time finally came for him to do so, it was out of anger because he felt he was getting screwed (not the term they use) on the price he was receiving for his tobacco.

As a military leader, Washington was less than great. The campaigns he led did not end well, but he believed that in order for the United States to succeed they must fight England and gain independence. Washington surrounded himself by many good men during the American Revolutionary years though, of them Nathaniel Green and Henry Knox. Of the not so good, Charles Lee, and the ever infamous Benedict Arnold.

His shining moments came when the war ended and Washington walked away from the powerful post of General and title, His Excellency, and further proved his belief that the government was to be ruled by the voice of men, not the voice of one man. He remained humble during this time and believed that he would be exiting the public arena and returning to Mount Vernon to retire.

Washington holds the dubious honor of being the only President to have been elected unanimously by the Electoral College, not once but twice. They saw in him the honesty, fairness and resolve to lead the United States during its infancy. Washington served two terms as the President and during that time established the national credit and foundation for the financially powerful nation; signed the Residence Act of 1790 which established DC as the seat of power; and established open trade with England and her colonies. In 1797 he retired and returned to Mount Vernon to spend his remaining days as a farmer.

Obviously I liked the book as I have just written a book report! But if you aren't a history buff...beware the book is very long!!! (less)

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Apr 19, 2009

Patrick rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

Recently, I decided to read a biography on each US president, and I began the project with this book by Pulitzer Prize winning author Joseph J. Ellis. I must say that I was initially put off by how short the book was; it only comprises 275 pages of text, not including citations. However, once I began reading I was pleasantly surprised. The best part of Ellis's treatment of His Excellency, as George Washington was known, is the analysis of his very human faults and frailties. Combined with Washin...more

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Apr 18, 2009

Nancy rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

bookshelves: biography, non-fiction

Read in January, 2008

My interest in learning more about George Washington was sparked by our visit to Mt. Vernon over the Thanksgiving weekend. My cousin recommended this book. I enjoyed this book and learned a lot about Washington and the beginning of the United States. Washington seemed to be a man who wanted to move up in the world and later was quite concerned about his legacy. He was a tall (6’3”), imposing man. He was conscious of his lack of formal education. One of the most interesting aspects was ...more

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Jul 10, 2009

Kevin rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

Read in April, 2009

Not quite as great as American Sphinx--not so much because Ellis missed it somehow, but because Washington's legacy really doesn't seem to be as fraught as the guy that came two presidents after him. The tack is the same--iconoclasm, trying to pare America's central deity down to a more historically-consistent size. But the process doesn't work as well as it did with Jeff, as it is that Washington left way less incriminating material behind after his death. (More so than with Jefferson, even, Wa...more

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Oct 16, 2009

Peter rated it:

(review of isbn 1400032539)

Read in October, 2009

Joseph J. Ellis' stated goal in writing this biography was to produce a book that people could actually read, and I think he really succeeds. His Excellency George Washington comes in under 300 pages, which is about a third of the length of David McCullough's fine John Adams. It really is hard to get to know the personality and character of someone so mythical as George Washington, but Ellis does a good job at displaying his virtues (which are many) along with his weaknesses. There is a popular ...more

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