MOUNT VERNON, Va. (AP) — James Rees, who led George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate for nearly 20 years and worked to promote a vigorous public image of the Founding Father, has died after a long illness. He was 62.

Mount Vernon confirmed that Rees died Tuesday at his Markham home. He retired from Mount Vernon in 2012 for health reasons. The cause of death was not available.

Rees joined Mount Vernon in 1983 and was appointed president in 1994. He bristled at the notion of Washington as a staid figure from the history pages and oversaw numerous projects that portrayed Washington as a vibrant leader, including a $60 million museum and orientation center and a restoration of Washington’s distillery and gristmill.

During his 29-year tenure, Mount Vernon’s endowment grew from $4 million to $100 million.

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