Category: George Washington

A lush portrait of two royal boys, lavishly dressed in an ornate room.

Washington’s Plot to Kidnap a British Prince

January 14, 2025

During the Revolutionary War, George Washington approved an audacious plan to kidnap King George's third son, Prince William, then in New York, and hold him hostage -- with all the greatest respect. The attempt was never made, for which the future King William IV was grateful when he later learned of the plot.

Posted in: Alexander Hamilton, American Revolution, Congress, Exhibitions, George Washington, LCM, Manuscripts, U.S. Presidents

A brown, very faded, falling apart leather notebook cover, opened to show front and back

George Washington: Land Surveyor

January 10, 2025

Posted by: Neely Tucker

George Washington made his living as a land surveyor from ages 17 to 20, an enterprise that took him deep into the Blue Ridge Mountains in what is now Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia. His diaries and surveying field notebooks are preserved at the Library, along with the rest of his papers, and are featured in a new exhibit, "The Two Georges."

Posted in: Exhibitions, Geography and Maps Division, George Washington, LCM, Maps, U.S. Presidents