Editing George Washington (section)

==Personal life==
Washington's 1751 bout with smallpox may have rendered him sterile, though Chernow notes that it is possible Martha "sustained injury during the birth of Patsy, her final child, making additional births impossible".{{sfn|Chernow|2010|p=103}} The couple lamented not having any children together.{{sfnm|Chernow|2010|1p=103|Flexner|1974|2pp=42–43}} The two raised Martha's children [[John Parke Custis]] (Jacky) and [[Martha Parke Custis]] (Patsy), and later Jacky's two youngest children [[Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis|Eleanor Parke Custis]] (Nelly) and [[George Washington Parke Custis]] (Washy), and supported numerous nieces and nephews.{{sfn|Chernow|2010|pp=101, 463}} Some descendants of [[West Ford (slave)|West Ford]], a slave of Washington's younger brother [[John Augustine Washington]], maintain (based on family [[oral history]]) that Ford was fathered by George Washington, though this paternity has been disputed.{{sfnm|Chernow|2010|1pp=492&ndash;493|Wiencek|2003|2pp=291&ndash;310}}

Washington was somewhat reserved in personality, although he was known for having a strong presence. He made speeches and announcements when required, but he was not a noted orator nor debater.{{sfnm|Ferling|2002|1p=16|Randall|1997|2pp=34, 436|Chernow|2010|3pp=29–30}} He drank alcohol in moderation but was morally opposed to excessive drinking, smoking tobacco, gambling, and profanity.{{sfn|Chernow|2010|p=134}} He was taller than most of his contemporaries;{{sfn|Ferling|2002|p=16}} accounts of his height vary from {{convert|6|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} to {{convert|6|ft|3.5|in|m|2|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Chernow|2010|p=29}} He was known for his strength.{{sfn|Chernow|2010|pp=123–125}} He had grey-blue eyes and long reddish-brown hair.{{sfn|Nowlan|2014|p=26}} He did not wear a [[wig#19th and 20th centuries|powdered wig]]; instead he wore his hair curled, powdered, and tied in a [[Queue (hairstyle)#Other queues|queue]] in the [[1775–1795 in Western fashion#Men's fashion|fashion of the day]].{{sfn|Chernow|2010|p=30}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Fessenden |first1=Maris |title=How George Washington Did His Hair |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-george-washington-did-his-hair-180955547/ |magazine=Smithsonian |date=June 9, 2015|archivedate=April 30, 2024 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430211918/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-george-washington-did-his-hair-180955547/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Washington suffered from severe [[tooth decay]] and ultimately lost all of [[George Washington's teeth|his teeth]] except one. He had several sets of false teeth during his presidency. Contrary to common lore, these were not made of wood, but of metal, [[ivory]], bone, animal teeth, and human teeth possibly obtained from slaves.{{sfn|Mackowiak|2021}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Schultz |first1=Colin |title=George Washington Didn't Have Wooden Teeth—They Were Ivory |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/george-washington-didnt-have-wooden-teeth-they-were-ivory-180953273/ |magazine=Smithsonian |date=November 7, 2014 |archivedate=April 24, 2024 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424173829/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/george-washington-didnt-have-wooden-teeth-they-were-ivory-180953273/ |url-status=live }}</ref> His dental problems left him in constant pain, which he treated with [[laudanum]].{{sfn|Chernow|2010|pp=30, 290, 437–439, 642–643}} He also experienced a painful growth in his thigh early in his first presidential term, followed by a life-threatening bout of [[pneumonia]] in 1790 from which he never fully recovered.{{sfn|Rhodehamel|2017|loc=10: "On Untrodden Ground"}}

Washington was a talented equestrian. Jefferson described him as "the best horseman of his age".{{sfn|Chernow|2010|p=124}} He collected thoroughbreds at Mount Vernon; his two favorite horses were [[Blueskin (horse)|Blueskin]] and [[Nelson (horse)|Nelson]].{{sfn|Chernow|2010|pp=124, 469}}