George Washington’s self-discipline was unmatched, his horsemanship among the finest of his age, and his dancing abilities renowned. Yet, when planning for his family’s future, Washington faced many of the same challenges we do today, albeit on a grander scale. Washington’s will reveals how our first president balanced affection, obligation, and competing interests in dividing his property and caring for those he loved. Washington’s primary beneficiary was, of course, his bel

George Washington died on December 14, 1799 at the age of sixty-seven. He was survived by his beloved wife Martha of forty years and left behind an estate worth at least $530,000. By some measures of relative economic wealth, George Washington’s estate would be valued at well over $500 million today. Yet, despite having spent much of his life surrounded by the preeminent lawyers and jurists of his era, Washington did not rely upon an attorney in devising his estate plan. Rath