George and Martha Washington

About this book

George and Martha Washington, of Mount Vernon, Virginia, were America's original first couple. From the 1750s, when young soldier George wooed and wedded Martha Dandridge Custis, a pretty and rich young widow, to the forging of a new nation, Flora Fraser traces the development, both personal and political, of an historic marriage. The private sphere - their love of home and country, the two children Martha brings to this union from a previous marriage, and the confidence she instilled in her beloved second spouse - forms the backdrop to an increasingly public partnership. Fraser brings George and Martha Washington to life afresh: he, a man who aspired to greatness; and she, a woman who, when tested, proved an ideal spouse to commander and president alike.