About this item
Long before George Washington was a president or general, he was a sportsman. Born in 1732, he had a physique and aspirations that were tailor made for his age, one in which displays of physical prowess were essential to recognition in society. At six feet two inches and with a penchant for rambunctious horse riding, what he lacked in formal schooling he made up for in physical strength, skill, and ambition. Virginia colonial society rewarded men who were socially adept, strong, graceful, and fair at play. Washington's memorable performances on the hunting field and on the battlefield helped crystallize his contribution to our modern ideas about athleticism and chivalry, even as they also highlight the intimate ties between sports and war. Washington's actions, taken individually and seen by others as the core of his being, helped a young nation bridge the old to the new and the aristocrat to the republican.
About the Author
Philip Smucker is the author of the forthcoming book, Riding with George: Sportsmanship & Chivalry in the Making of America's First President, as well as Al Qaeda's Great Escape: The Military & the Media on Terror's Trail, and My Brother, My Enemy: America and the Battle of Ideas across the Islamic World. He is a current Fellow at the National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon and is related to George Washington as a fifth great-grandnephew through George's favorite younger brother Jack, whose direct heirs lived and worked at Mount Vernon until it was sold in 1858 by John A. Washington to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.
Philip began his writing career at the University of California, Berkeley, covering the national champion rugby team. He started his conflict reporting in Southeast Asia, reporting on wars in Burma and Cambodia, as well as on regional politics before moving onto conflicts in the Balkans, the Middle East and South Asia. He has interviewed world leaders, including the Dalai Lama and Aung San Suu Kyi, but prefers spending time researching long writing projects like his most recent endeavor, Riding with George. A seasoned reporter with over thirty years of experience abroad and on the front lines, he has worked and written for numerous publications including The Atlantic Monthly, McClatchy Newspapers, the International Herald Tribune, The New York Times, Asia Times, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Daily Telegraph, London. His greatest loves are history and human rights.
