The statue was dedicated on Flag Day, June 14, 1909, during the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition.

[2] Its permanent 24-foot (7.3 m) pedestal was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and installed in August 1938.

[3] The pedestal had been designed by Taft in 1908 but was not funded in time for the exposition.

During the George Floyd protests, A number of student led organizations at the University of Washington called for the statue's removal due to George Washington’s ownership of slaves.

This petition asked for the George Washington statue to be replaced with a Black Power fist and to rename the nearby George Cafe to the Juneteenth Cafe.