Before he was President: George Washington
 George Washington, 1789-1797
surveyor
George Washington's first paying job was actually for local
government. When he was 17 years old he was hired as the surveyor of
the newly formed Culpeper County. This job dramatically increased
his knowledge of how to spot valuable tracts of land. He leveraged
that knowledge into his own business of buying property. At the age
of 19 he was fast becoming a wealthy land owner. The Many Faces
of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon By Carla Killough
McClafferty
President-elect Washington was the wealthiest man in America at the
time of his election as President, but he had to borrow 600 pounds
(dollars) from a neighbor in order to travel to his own inauguration. His
enormous wealth was attributed the vast property that he owned which
produced almost no cash flow. He left Mount Vernon on April 16, 1789
to make his way to the nation's capital in New York City.
John Adams, 1797-1801
schoolteacher and lawyer
Adams' great, great grandfather and grandmother were part of the
party that landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. Adams started smoking
when he was only 8 years old.
He graduated from Harvard College in 1755 and for the next two years
taught school and studied law under the direction of James Putnam in
Worcester, Massachusetts. In trade for serving as an apprentice of
sorts to 28 year old Attorney Putnam John. Adams agreed to pay Putnam
$100.00 per month plus a fee for his room and board. During the move
to the White House, John and Abigail Adams got lost in the woods
north of the city.
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Thomas Jefferson, 1801-1809
architect
In March of 1786 Jefferson was struggling to pay his
personal debts and the debts he inherited when his father in law
died. Jefferson's primary concern was his good credit standing as he
tried to negotiate his debt with the creditors. He cited two reasons
for his delay in payments: the inflation that the war had caused in
America made his paper money virtually worthless and the army of
well known bad guy Lord Cornwallis had stolen 30 of his slaves and
burnt 1 year's worth of tobacco held in storage and another year's
worth that was still growing. His creditors ignored his issues and
demanded payment in full in gold or sterling silver. Thomas
Jefferson's misery over money was just beginning. Thomas
Jefferson: A Life By Willard Sterne Randall
More stories:
Duncan Hines
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Franklin
James Garfield
Harry Truman
Henry Ford |
