To many his death was unexpected, as in the days before he was managing affairs at his properties and engaged in current events. However, he fell ill and was cared for by doctors before succumbing to the complications of an infection in his throat. · Learn about the possible causes of death of the former President, who died on , after a 21-hour illness. Find out how his doctors tried to cure him and what modern medical experts suggest. After serving two terms as president, GeorgeWashington retired to his estate at Mount Vernon in 1797. Two years into his retirement, Washington caught a cold. The cold developed into a throat infection. · Doctors continued the process of bloodletting and Spanish fly throughout the day, but to no avail; Washingtondied shortly after 8 p.m. Physicians have disagreed about the cause of death, but... GeorgeWashington, the first President of the United States, passed away in December 1799 at his estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia. After retiring from public life in 1797, Washington dedicated his final years to managing his plantation. · GeorgeWashington, the American revolutionary leader and first president of the United States, dies at his estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia. He was 67 years old. George Washington died on , after a painful sore throat and bloodletting. He was buried at Mount Vernon, following a public mourning and a debate over his tomb location.