Mason Locke Weems

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Mason Locke Weems (October 11, 1759 – May 23, 1825), usually referred to as Parson Weems, was an American minister, evangelical bookseller and author who wrote (and rewrote and republished) the first biography of George Washington immediately after his death. Some popular stories about Washington thought during the 20th century to be apocryphal can be traced to Weems, including the cherry tree tale ("I can't tell a lie, Pa; you know I can't tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet."). Weems' biography of Washington was a bestseller that depicted Washington's virtues and was intended to provide morally instructive tales for the youth of the young nation.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Unknown artist: Image taken from PICTORIAL FIELD BOOK OF THE REVOLUTION, VOLUME II, BY BENSON J. LOSSING, 1850., Public domain