Augustine Washington Jr.

Augustine Washington Jr. (1720 – May 1762) was an American planter, military officer, and politician. He was a member of the Washington family and the half-brother of George Washington.

**Early Life**

Augustine Washington Jr. was born in 1720. He was the third and youngest son of Augustine Washington (1694–1743) and Jane Butler (1699–1729). His elder brother was Lawrence Washington. His mother, Jane Butler, inherited approximately 640 acres from her father, Caleb Butler. Following her death in 1729, Augustine Washington married Mary Ball, with whom he had several children, including George Washington, Elizabeth Washington, Samuel Washington, John Augustine Washington, and Charles Washington. Augustine Washington Jr.'s paternal grandparents were Lawrence Washington and Mildred Warner, who was the daughter of Augustine Warner Jr. After Lawrence Washington's death in 1698, his widow, Mildred Warner, remarried George Gale of Whitehaven, England, a merchant influential in establishing trade links between Whitehaven and Virginia.

**Career**

According to the will of Augustine Washington Sr., the land now known as Mount Vernon was initially bequeathed to Augustine's elder brother, Lawrence Washington. However, the will stipulated that if Lawrence died without an heir, the property would pass to Augustine Jr., with the condition that he would transfer the Popes Creek property, called "Wakefield," to George Washington. Augustine Washington Jr. chose to retain the Wakefield property, thus George Washington acquired the Mount Vernon estate.

In 1754, after the death of Robert Vaulx, Augustine Washington Jr. was elected as a representative for Westmoreland County in the Virginia House of Burgesses. He served part-time from 1754 to 1758. Additionally, he was a member of the Ohio Company, and in 1753, he inherited his brother Lawrence's share in Accokeek Furnace near Stafford, Virginia.

**Personal Life**

In 1743, at Nominy Plantation, Augustine Washington Jr. married Anne Aylett (1724–1774). She was the daughter and co-heiress of William Aylett of Westmoreland County and Anne Hardridge (née Ashton) Aylett. They had six children, four of whom survived into adulthood:

- Lawrence Washington (1745–1745), who died young.

- Augustine Washington III (1747–1747), who died young.

- Elizabeth Lewis "Bettie" Washington (1749–1814), who married General Alexander Spotswood.

- Anne "Nancy" Washington (1752–1777), who married Burdett Ashton.

- Jane Augusta Washington (1756–1833), who married her second cousin Colonel John Thornton.

- William Augustine Washington (1757–1810), a planter and politician who represented Westmoreland County in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1788. He married Jane "Jenny" Washington and later Mary Lee, daughter of Richard Henry Lee.

Augustine Washington Jr. died at Wakefield plantation in Westmoreland County in May 1762 and was buried at Popes Creek.

**References**

- Lyon Gardiner Tyler, ed., *Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography*, Volume 1, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1915.

**External Links**

- Photo of Augustine Washington Jr.'s grave marker