Parson Weems
Parson Weems' Fable'' by Grant Wood (1939)
Parson Mason Locke Weems (1756-1825) was an American printer and author known as the source for almost all of the half-truths about George Washington, "the Father of his Country," including the famous tale of the cherry tree. ("I cannot tell a lie, I did it with my little hatchet.") The Life of Washington, Weems' most famous work, contained the story.