Ron Chernow talked about his biography, Washington: A Life, published in October 2010 by Penguin Press. The book is billed as “the first large-scale, single volume, cradle-to-grave narrative of George Washington.” Mr. Chernow talked about Washington’s temperament, his marriage, and his friendship with Sally Fairfax. He also discussed Washington’s relationships with other founding fathers including John Adams and Alexander Hamilton. In discussing Washington’s health, Mr. Chernow says that the first president almost died twice in the first two years of his presidency. This is the first of two parts of the interview.
Mr. Chernow is the author of five other books including biographies of Alexander Hamilton and John D. Rockefeller. In 1990, he won the National Book Award for his first book, The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance.