In the spring of 1787, George Washington departed Virginia for Philadelphia to attend the Constitutional Convention. The Convention met from May 14 to September 17, 1787, and Washington—then living at nearby Mount Vernon—remained deeply embedded in Alexandria’s civic and religious life through his longstanding service on vestries, regular attendance at Christ Church, and close ties to the town’s political and commercial leaders.
His decision to preside over the Convention proved decisive. Washington’s presence reassured skeptical delegates and the public alike that the effort was not a radical experiment, but a necessary act of national repair. Though the debates unfolded in Philadelphia, Washington carried with him the authority he had long exercised in communities like Alexandria, where order, self-governance, and public trust had already taken root.
When Washington returned to Virginia, the Constitution followed—not as theory, but as a governing framework that would soon reshape Alexandria’s future, setting the stage for the Virginia port town’s eventual inclusion in the new federal district.