Mason Locke Weems

This is a beta version of NNDB

Mason Locke Weems

Born: 11-Oct-1759
Birthplace: Ann Arundel County, MD
Died: 23-May-1825
Location of death: Beaufort, SC
Cause of death: unspecified
Remains: Buried, Weems Estate, Bel Air, VA

Gender: Male
Religion: Anglican/Episcopalian [1]
Race or Ethnicity: White
Occupation: Author

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Life of George Washington

The 5th edition of his Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington contains the first mention of the apocryphal story of George Washington cutting down the cherry tree, and when confronted, responding "I cannot tell a lie, I did it with my little hatchet." Weems authored several biographies of eminent Americans, and a good number of pamphlets.

[1] Ordained, 1784.

Author of books:
The Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington (1800, biography)
The Life of Gen. Francis Marion, a Celebrated Partizan Officer, in the Revolutionary War, Against the British and Tories, in South-Carolina and Georgia (1814, with Brigadier General P. Horry)
The Life of Benjamin Franklin; with many choice anecdotes and admirable sayings of this great man, never before published by any of his biographers (1835, biography)
The life of William Penn the settler of Pennsylvania the founder of Philadelphia and one of the first lawgivers in the colonies now United States in 1682 (1836, biography)

Do you know something we don't?
Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile