George Washington (1732-1799) is regarded as "Father of the Country" due to his role in the formation of the United States of America.
He represented Virginia in the Continental Congress, and in 1775 he was appointed General and Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, winning independence from the British in the American War of Independence (1775-1783). In 1787 he presided the Constitutional Convention, and became the first president of the United States from 1789 until 1797.
The Washington monument, built as a memorial to George Washington and completed in 1884, is located in the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It has the form of an obelisk, is 555 feet (169 meters) high and is made of marble and granite.