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George Washington, Entrepreneur: How Our Founding Father's Private Business Pursuits Changed America and the World Hardcover – June 30, 2020

by John Berlau (Author)

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A business biography of George Washington, focusing on his many innovations and inventions.

George Washington: general, statesman...businessman? Most people don't know that Washington was one of the country's first true entrepreneurs, responsible for innovations in several industries. In George Washington, Entrepreneur, John Berlau presents a fresh, surprising take on our forefather's business pursuits.

History has depicted Washington as a gifted general and political pragmatist, not an intellectual heavyweight. But he was a patron of inventors and inveterate tinkerer, and just as intelligent as Jefferson or Franklin. His library was filled with books on agriculture, history, and philosophy. He was the first to breed horses with donkeys to produce the American mule. On his estate, he grew countless varieties of trees and built a greenhouse full of exotic fruits, herbs, and plants. Unlike his Virginia neighbors who remained wedded to tobacco, Washington planted seven types of wheat. His state-of-the-art mill produced flour which he exported to Europe in sacks stamped "G. Washington"―one of the very first branded food products. Mount Vernon was also home to a distillery and became one of the largest American whiskey producers of the era.

Berlau's portrait of Washington, drawn in large part from his journals and extensive correspondence, presents a side of him we haven't seen before. It is sure to delight readers of presidential biography and business history.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

All Points Books
Publication date

June 30, 2020
Dimensions

5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

1250172608
ISBN-13

978-1250172600
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Just when you think the scholarship on our first president has become exhausted, along comes a book like George Washington, Entrepreneur to open your eyes and impart new knowledge about our greatest president. Berlau is an exquisite writer and historian.”
―Craig Shirley, author of Mary Ball Washington, presidential historian, and Reagan biographer

“Surveyor, agribusinessman, patron of inventors: John Berlau shows how Washington brought his skillset―curiosity, persistence, flexibility―to his life as an entrepreneur.”
―Richard Brookhiser, senior fellow, National Review Institute, and author of Founding Father.

“A fascinating look at a little-known and (not surprisingly) little taught aspect of George Washington’s life…a timely reminder of the role entrepreneurship played in this country’s history, and the role that opposition to infringements on economic liberty played in the American revolution.”
―Dr. Ron Paul, former U.S. congressman and presidential candidate

“An impressive work of scholarship that enlarges our understanding of the founding era.”
―Norm Singleton, Campaign for Liberty president

“George Washington, Entrepreneur tells a dramatic story…In no small part, British efforts to curb American entrepreneurialism led to the American Revolution.”
―Kevin J. Hayes, author of George Washington: A Life in Books, winner of the George Washington Prize

“Washington's entrepreneurial spirit and business skills are relevant not only to the hundreds of thousands of present day FFA and Farm Bureau members, but important to the founding of our nation…business is at its heart a creative act, necessary to liberty, and Washington's dedication to freedom in commercial pursuits may well have been the impetus for his role in the Revolution and the founding. Berlau's book is timely and important, and I highly recommend it.”
―Blake Hurst, farmer and Missouri Farm Bureau president

“Smart, searching, and absorbing, George Washington, Entrepreneur is a must-read for twenty-first-century innovators, tinkerers, and pragmatists who believe innovation is never at rest.”
―Erin Holmes, managing partner, Invested Media

"At a time when others downgrade so many historical figures, John Berlau lifts a worthy man higher―Washington. Berlau gives us a fascinating tour of Washington's business side, illuminating the relationship between entrepreneurial, military and political achievement."
―Amity Shlaes, biographer, author of Coolidge

About the Author

John Berlau is an award-winning journalist, recipient of the National Press Club’s Sandy Hume Memorial Award for Excellence in Political Journalism, and Senior Fellow for Finance and Access to Capital at CEI. He is a columnist for Forbes and Newsmax, and has contributed to Financial Times, Washington Post, Politico, Wall Street Journal,and Washington Times. He is a frequent guest on CNBC, CNN, Fox News, and Fox Business. Berlau lives in Alexandria, VA, 7 miles from the Mount Vernon estate.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ All Points Books (June 30, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250172608
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250172600
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,025,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,394 in U.S. Colonial Period History
- #2,145 in US Presidents
- #6,153 in Entrepreneurship (Books)

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William J. Bahr

Pure genius!

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2020

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This is a fascinating, well-written, and well-researched book about the enterprising side of George Washington.

It covers by chapter: Introduction (Washington’s Greenhouse). 1. Iron Roots: How the Washington’s Family Fortunes Rose, Fell, and Rose Again. 2. The Education of an Entrepreneur: An Eighteenth-Century Boyhood. 3. A Dirty Job: The Origins of Washington’s Career as a Surveyor and Land Speculator. 4. Washington’s Social Network: The Key to Success in Business, Life, and Politics. 5. George and Martha: Partners in Life and Business. 6. Washington’s Green Thumb: The fields and Orchards of Mount Vernon. 7. Washington’s Mount Vernon: The Making of an Industrial Village. 8. Success and Revolution. 9. Father of Invention: Washington’s Support for Eighteen-Century Innovators. 10. Never at Rest: Washington’s Final Years. 11. Mount Vernon and Washington’s Legacy. Acknowledgments. Appendix. Notes. Index.

Throughout the book, one will find many interesting examples of how Washington was: a realistic-visionary, experimentalist, perfectionist, micro-manager, innovative agriculturalist, Renaissance Man, and overall creative genius. In so many words, he was enlightened, energetic, profit-driven, practical, and immensely curious about how things worked. He was, of course, in addition to being a warrior and a statesman, an entrepreneur in so many things.

A very minor observation for the author’s next edition: The photograph in Chapter 2 is not a view of Mount Vernon Today from Across the Potomac River, but a view of Fort Washington Park, MD, across the river from Mount Vernon. Also a heads-up: some may find the author's assertions in the final chapter on Washington's legacy a "silver-dollar-throw-over-the-Potomac" too far.

All in all, however, and bottom line, I think you’ll find this a marvelous read. Highly recommended!

“Character is Key for Liberty!” If you’re interested in how George Washington’s character played a preeminent role in his life and our country, check out George Washington's Liberty Key: Mount Vernon's Bastille Key – the Mystery and Magic of Its Body, Mind, and Soul , a best-seller at Mount Vernon.

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Bukky

Well written!

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2023

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This book is highly recommended as it was well written with accurate chronology of events leading to the success of our founding father's businesses. It's a good book to have on your shelf and in between flights! Kudos to the author and publisher!

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Amazon Customer

Good but Sort of Short

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2021

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The book was good. It was well-written and informative but it was sort of short. I am a big fan of Washington, though, so I enjoyed it.

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R. JOHNSON

There was more to George Washington than a noble visage.

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2020

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As I suspect many Americans, I feel like I know George Washington and yet there is so much I didn't know about the man himself until I read this book. In a sense this is the biography of George Washington that would have been common if he had never been a general or president. This book deals with what the father of his country did outside of statesmanship. The first president was a prolific letter writer and collector of information. His interest in the natural world around him, his business practices, and his unending quest to improve his own store of knowledge are all aspects of Washington that John Berlau ably brings out. This is a fast moving book that conveys a tremendous wealth of information without bludgeoning the reader with bloviation and authorial self importance. Highly recommend.

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Ronb

Entrepreneur? Beware, I can only fine two chapters on this subject. Wait for the Kindle version.

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2020

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This is a "nice" book, with lots of quotes from real Washington scholars. But billed as a book on his entrepreneurship and innovation as a WHOLE book is a bit much. He salts some of the same info in the first and last chapters that are finally covered in the two chapters on the subject. The rest is his life, and about Martha etc.

I did like the chapter on Martha, as she apparently was a serious business connection for George, and perhaps a good manger of this extensive plantation while George was gone. I found just a couple of items of interest, (that I did not know) other than that.

This is NOT a scholarly book, it is a fun if you know nothing about our first president. It is short only 185 pages, with 80 or more pages of appendix and index.

I would definitely not buy the hard cover version.

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Pat V

Insight to 18th century economics

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2021

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I thought this would be a very dry read. The author keeps the reader interested and provides an understandable picture of 18th commerce. Provides insight into Washington's overall goals for Mount Vernon and the United States of America.

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2020

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We all think that with all that schooling, we know so much about our founding fathers. I learned so much from this most interesting and fast-read book that I was amazed at how much we don't learn in school. This showed many sides of George Washington unknown to me before. Terrific book!

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Christian Josi

Phenomenal concept, phenomenal book

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2020

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I would expect no less from Berlau, but this is really thoughtful stuff. First, who else would have thought to write a whole book on this subject? I echo what Craig Shirley wrote in his review in this space (and if anyone knows G. Washington history, it's Craig). Meticulous, thoughtful, and extremely informative. Good on ya, John.

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