On December 14, 1799, George Washington died at his home after a brief illness and after losing about 40 percent of his blood. So what killed the 67-year-old former President?
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Modern medical experts have narrowed it down to several likely reasons for why Washington fell ill and died in a 21-hour period. But the illness as diagnosed by his physicians isn’t one of those likely causes of death. And it was this same group of physicians that let massive amounts of Washington’s blood in an attempt to cure him.
What we do know is based on contemporary accounts, including those of Tobias Lear, Washington’s secretary. Two days earlier, an apparently healthy Washington rode around his estate at Mount Vernon on a cold, miserable day. According to Lear, Washington decided to stay in his wet clothes so he could be on time for dinner.
