The Society of the Cincinnati was founded in 1783 at the close of the Revolutionary War by officers of the Continental army and navy to preserve the ideals and fellowship for which they had fought. George Washington was instrumental in the Society’s founding and served as its first president general. Now in its third century, the Society has been perpetuated by descendants of these Revolutionary War soldiers as a nonprofit historical and educational organization that promotes public interest in the American Revolution through its library and museum collections, exhibitions, programs, research and publications, and other activities. Since 1938 the Society has been headquartered in Washington, D.C., at Anderson House, a 1905 Beaux Arts mansion and National Historic Landmark.