In his mid-twenties, George Washington—the third son of a modest Virginia planter—had ruined his military career thanks to an outrageous ego. But by his mid-forties, he was chosen as the commander in chief of the fledgling Continental Army, and he was later unanimously elected the nation's first president. What changed? Here David Stewart follows him from Virginia's House of Burgesses to his role in the Second Continental Congress, and from his grueling generalship to his eight years as Chief Executive, to show how Washington perfected the art of governing and service.

"As Stewart demonstrates time and time again, with vivid prose and a wonderful sense of pacing, great leaders are also great learners. In this time of division and turmoil, this is the book we need."—Nathaniel Philbrick