George Washington

George Washington (1732-1799) was the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783, and later the first President of the United States, an office to which he was twice elected unanimously (unanimous among the Electoral College) and held from 1789 to 1797. In 1787, he presided over the Constitutional Convention that drafted the current United States Constitution and, in 1789, was the unanimous choice to become the first president of the United States. His two-term administration set many policies and traditions that survive today. After his second term expired, Washington again voluntarily relinquished power, thereby establishing an important precedent that was to serve as an example for the United States and also for other future republics.

Because of his central role in the founding of the United States, Washington is often called the "Father of his Country". Scholars rank him with Abraham Lincoln among the greatest of United States presidents.

Muppet References

 * Washington appeared as part of the Mount Rushmore statue in the 1975 special The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence. Mount Rushmore also appeared in a PSA for the National Wildlife Federation in the 1980s, and in Muppets Tonight episode 106 in 1996.
 * Lydia the Tattooed Pig has a picture of Washington crossing the Delaware River tattooed on her body, as seen in The Muppet Show episode 102. The Sesame Muppets also reenact the crossing of the Delaware in The Sesame Street 1976 Calendar.
 * The Muppets appeared in a sketch about the Second Continental Congress in the 1982 special I Love Liberty, a celebration of the 250th anniversary of Washington's birth.
 * Bert and Ernie look at a portrait of Washington in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the 1983 special Don't Eat the Pictures.
 * In a Sesame Street News Flash sketch, Kermit interviews Washington's father, who is annoyed that George keeps chopping down cherry trees and then telling the truth about it.
 * An Elvis appeared as Washington in a Great Moments in Elvis History sketch, in Muppets Tonight episode 101.
 * Ernie sings "George Washington Bridge" on the 1996 CD Sing-Along Travel Songs.
 * Kermit dressed up as Washington for a print ad for the United States Mint US State Commemorative Quarter program in 1999.
 * There are also a number of connections to Washington, D.C., chief among them being that Jim Henson began his career in puppetry at the Washington, D.C. TV stations WTOP and WRC-TV.