George Washington's relations with New York State, and especially New York City, were more continuous, more intimate, and certainly more important than with any other state, except his native state, Virginia.

Even before Washington's first visit to New York City in 1756, he was well known in New York State. "Major Washington's defeat near the Ohio by the French" had been reported to the New York Assembly in 1754, and his name appears frequently in the following years.

Some of the most important events in Washington's life occurred in New York State. It was here that he experienced his first great ovation as the head of the army. It was here that he received a copy of the Declaration of Independence. It was here that he gained valuable experience in the early battles of the Revolution. It was here that he suffered the agony of Arnold's perfidy and Andrés death. It was here that he instituted the first secret service which resulted in the death of Nathan Hale. It was here that he refused a kingship and replied to the famous Newburgh addresses. It was here that he proclaimed the cessation of hostilities. It was here that he planned masterful campaigns like the Sullivan-Clinton campaign and the Yorktown campaign. It was here that he received news of the signing of the Treaty of Peace. It was here that he saw the last of the British forces leave the shores of the New Republic. It was here that he bade an affectionate farewell to his officers. It was here that he helped to organize the Society of the Cincinnati and became its first head. And it was here that he was inaugurated as the first President of the United States and set the new government in motion in New York City, the first national capital.