George Washington:  Engineer, Educator, and Entrepreneur

Before leading a nation, Washington led land surveys and infrastructure planning. His engineering mind was evident in:

• Surveying and mapping the American frontier—often in mathematically hostile, unmapped terrain.

• Designing irrigation systems, crop rotations, and farming infrastructure that would be considered sustainability-forward even today.

• Sponsoring David Bushnell’s Turtle—the world’s first combat submarine—in a revolutionary bid to undermine British naval superiority.

“Bushnell is a man of great mechanical powers… I thought the attempt an effort of genius.”
—George Washington on the Turtle (1776)

The submarine failed to sink a ship—but it ignited a prototype-first mindset that IEEE engineers would recognize as the DNA of innovation.

Washington the Educator: Builder of Civic and Technical Institutions

Washington was no classroom lecturer—but he was a strategic educator of future citizens:

• Advocated a national military academy to train future officers (realized at West Point).

• Set the precedent of a two-term presidency, teaching future leaders the value of humility, transitions, and democratic succession.

• In his Farewell Address, he offered timeless lessons on unity, civic virtue, and strategic caution—all still quoted in policy and military education today.

IEEE members engaged in mentorship, curriculum development, and K–12 outreach can trace that tradition back to Washington’s institutional foresight.

Washington the Entrepreneur: Architect of a New Order

While not a “startup founder” in today’s terms, Washington was a true entrepreneurial builder:

• Managed complex operations at Mount Vernon, experimenting with crop diversification, land leasing, and international markets.

• Leveraged social and reputational capital—not just economic assets—to forge a working republic.

• Took on unprecedented risk: there was no prior blueprint for his job as President. Yet he engineered a system that outlived kings and empires.

Like the best IEEE innovators, he focused not just on what works now, but on what will endure.

So What? Why This Matters to IEEE

If we view engineering as more than coding or hardware—if it includes:

• Building systems under uncertainty,

• Educating future generations,

• Creating solutions with moral and civic impact…

…then George Washington was the original systems engineer.

This narrative:

• Humanizes our profession.

• Bridges technical legacy with ethical leadership.

• Reinforces IEEE’s role in building not just devices—but democracies.

Final Reflection

“Washington didn’t just lead a revolution. He taught us how to build one.”
He surveyed the land.
He mentored a nation.
He supported submarine warfare before most navies understood it.

So next time you explain engineering to a student, a policymaker, or a skeptic, remember:
America’s first engineer wore a uniform, carried a surveyor’s compass, sponsored a submarine—and led with humility.

Let’s do the same.