Video: 'The Man Who Wouldn't Be King'

(Friday, December 14, 1799, between 10:00-11:00 p.m. local time) — George Washington, the first president of the United States (1789-1797), died tonight from acute epiglottitis at his Mount Vernon plantation near Alexandria, Virginia, at age 67.

Previously, Washington led Patriot forces to victory in the nation’s War for Independence.

Video: 'President George Washington: A Biography - 1994'

He also presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 which established the U.S. Constitution and a federal government.

Washington has been called the “Father of His Country” for his manifold leadership in the formative days of the new nation.