As expected, Washington received the maximum of 132 electoral votes and was therefore reelected as president. All of his notes in this volume appear alongside the text of the Constitution, where he drew neat brackets to highlight passages of particular interest. Armonk, NY: Sharpe Reference, 2003. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. United States presidential election of 1792, American presidential election held in 1792, in which George Washington unanimously won a second term as president of the United States. All Rights Reserved. Electoral rules of the time required each presidential elector to cast two votes without distinguishing which was for president and which for vice president. Those chosen would cast their votes a month later, on February 4. Washington considered retirement after one term, preferring a return to the quiet comfort of Mount Vernon. Washingtons first inauguration occurred in New York City on the portico of Federal Hall in Lower Manhattan on April 30, 1789. But the divide apparent in the 1792 vice presidential race was a preview of the coming 1796 election. The United States presidential election of 1789 was the first presidential election in the United States of America. We don't accept government funding and rely upon private contributions to help preserve George Washington's home and legacy. Discover the Home of George and Martha Washington, The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. Watch our interview with Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. And, of course, Washington DC was named in his honor. Washington was elected unanimously, receiving one vote from every elector. Thefirst draft of over seventy pages had been prepared by Washington's aide David Humphreys and included extensive recommendations to Congress on such topics as internal improvements, military affairs, international treaties, and the expansion of national borders. On January 6, as a formality, the electoral votes are counted before Congress and on January 20, the commander in chief is sworn into office. It was held from Friday, November 4 to Wednesday, December 7, 1796. But Washington himself did absolutely no public campaigning, and even cast doubt on whether he would take the job if elected. The sitting took place on October 3, 1789, probably in the president's official residence on Cherry Street in New York. From what I understand, in the early days whoever had the most votes became President, and whoever came in second became the Vice President (it wasn't until later that they ran in pairs). We don't accept government funding and rely upon private contributions to help preserve George Washington's home and legacy. The Presidency of George Washington. One exhilarated eyewitness recalled that " my sensibility was wound to such a pitch that I could do no more than wave my hat with the rest, without the power of joining in the requested acclamations which rent the air!" https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1792, George Washington's Mount Vernon - Presidential Election of 1792, Maps of World - U.S. Presidential Election 1792, Gilbert Stuart: portrait of George Washington, United States presidential election of 1789, United States presidential election of 1796. The recipient of the most votes would then become president, and the runner-up vice president. Washington set the precedents for how these roles would interact with the presidency, establishing the cabinet as the chief executive's private, trusted advisors. Washington brought the book home to Mount Vernon after retiring from the presidency in March 1797. His journey northward was a celebratory procession as people in every town and village through which he passed turned out to greet him, often with banners and speeches and in some places with triumphal arches. The other six chose electors through some form involving a popular vote, though in only two states did the choice depend directly on a statewide vote. Athens, O.: United States Capitol Historical Society by Ohio U, 1999. Federalist. He would spend a difficult second term desperately preserving the new nation in the face of rebellion and foreign wars. *Electors were chosen by legislatures in many states, not by popular vote. By then, Anderson was in the twilight of a career that was equal parts acclaimed and hamstrung by racism. Ten states cast electoral votes: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. The fight to ratify the United States Constitution was still fresh in the memories of the legislators, and the Anti-federalists were resentful for have been forced by events to accept the constitution without amendments. But there was never any evidence that it was true. Dahl, Robert A. Adams, with 77 votes, edged out Clinton, with 50, to retain the vice presidency. On January 7, 1927, the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team travels 48 miles west from Chicago to play their first game in Hinckley, Illinois. Mount Vernon is owned and maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, a private, non-profit organization. Learn more about George Washington's annotated copy of The Acts of Congress - one of the prized holdings in our Library collection. First president who ran for election and won? 12 other men were on the ballot for that first election in 1789. On the evening of January 7, 1955, the curtain at the Metropolitan Opera in New York rises to reveal Marian Anderson, the first African American to perform with the Met. Craig R. Coenen. (c) Those states that did choose electors by popular vote had widely varying restrictions on suffrage via property requirements. READ MORE: Every U.S. Presidential Election Since 1789. "Alexander Hamilton". Open 365 days a year, Mount Vernon is located just 15 miles south of Washington DC. For example, Hamilton aimed to ensure that Adams did not inadvertently tie Washington in the electoral vote. The Constitution created the offices of President and Vice President, fully separating these offices from Congress. The unanimity of the vote in favor of Washington masked the nascent emergence of political parties and the bitter partisanship that would come characterize the rest of the 1790s. N.p. George Clinton, a vehement champion of states rights. Five candidates split the remaining seven votes. Source: United States Office of the Federal Register. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. [4], Nine of the 15 states eligible to chose representatives to the electoral college did so by a vote of the state legislature; the remaining six employed some form of popular vote. So, Washington and Adams held on to their roles for the second term. Each of the participating electors cast one vote for Washington, who was elected president. The distribution of the electoral vote between the four runners-up showed a high degree of party discipline, with only two electors voting contrary to the majority in their state. Adams won 77 electoral votes, enough to win re-election. On the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December of a presidential election year, each states electors meet, usually in their state capitol, and simultaneously cast their ballots nationwide. Upon hearing the news of his decisive election, Washington set out from Mount Vernon to take his place in presidential history. We don't accept government funding and rely upon private contributions to help preserve George Washington's home and legacy. Need help with homework? With 77 electoral votes, John Adams was re-elected, positioning him well enough to become Washington's presidential heir apparent. George Washington's copy of the Acts passed at a Congress of the United States of America (New-York, 1789) contains key founding documents establishing the Union: the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and a record of acts passed by the first Congress. For example, in Maryland, a state with a statewide popular vote, unofficial parties campaigned locally, advertising. Mount Vernon is owned and maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, a private, non-profit organization. : U of Connecticut, n.d, 1999. Anti-Federalist leaders such as Patrick Henry, who did not run, and George Clinton, who had opposed ratification of the Constitution, also represented potential choices. 1. This election was the first in which each of the original 13 states appointed electors, as did the newly added states of Kentucky and Vermont. George Washington had wished to retire at the end of his first term in office. 3 (September 2006): 373-390. This was the only U.S. presidential election that spanned two calendar years without a contingent election and the first national presidential election in American history. 46. The election took place following the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788. Bowling, Kenneth R., and Donald R. Kennon. Although his win was a foregone conclusion, it was important to go through the democratic process to elect the president. Even before the Constitution was ratified, rumors spread declaring George Washington would likely elected first President of the United States (much to the dismay of Washington himself). The disaster, the worst mining catastrophe in Oklahomas history, was mainly due to the mine owners emphasis on profits over safety. Washington Papers. Voters cast ballots to choose state electors; only white men who owned property were allowed to vote. **In this election, and in others until 1804, each elector voted for two individuals without indicating which was to be president and which was to be vice president. Having lost the vice president position, he was appointed the 1st Chief Justice by President Washington. London, UK: Penguin Books. For the results of the previous election, see United States presidential election of 1789. It was the first contested American presidential election . Mount Vernon is owned and maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, a private, non-profit organization. Adams received votes from 77 electors and Clinton 50; the four electors from Kentucky voted for Thomas Jefferson, and one South Carolina elector voted for Aaron Burr. The most significant features of this book are Washingtons personal notes, penciled in the margins. ", D. Jason BerggrenGeorgia Southwestern State University. In both the election of 1789 and 1792 Washington received all votes from the Electoral College. Being from Massachusetts, Adams election provided the administration a regional balance between the South and North. Adams won 34 electoral votes and the vice presidency. Historian Edward J. Larsen discusses Washington's first inauguration in this video from Mount Vernon on Vimeo. It was held from Monday, December 15, 1788, to Saturday, January 10, 1789, under the new Constitution ratified that same year. There was no precedent for this office in a world full of kings, leaving Washington the monumental task of figuring out how to act like a president. George Washingtons cabinet included just four original members: Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of War Henry Knox, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph. On November 5, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt won a third term in officean unprecedented act that would be barred by a constitutional amendment a decade later. The states chose 135 electors, out of whom 132 cast ballots. Did you know that President Washington never lived in Washington D.C.? The Globetrotters were the creation of Abe Saperstein of Chicago, who took over coaching duties for a team of African American players read more, The confessed Colorado cannibal Alferd Packer is released from prison on parole after serving 18 years. Vice PresidentJohn Adamsfrom Massachusetts, Born out of the Anti-Federalist faction that had opposed the Constitution in 1788, the Democratic-Republican Party was the main opposition to the agenda of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. Ed. McDonald, Forrest. His candidacy and subsequent victory are of little surprise, considering his place in United States history and politics. Washington was especially beloved in his native region and Southerners took special pride in his presidency. "I walk on untrodden ground," was a frequent comment he made in the days leading up to his first inauguration. At that moment, the Chancellor of the State of New York, Robert Livingston, the person who administered the oath to the first chief executive, exclaimed, "Long live George Washington, President of the United States! The remaining 35 electoral votes were split among 10 different candidates, including John Jay, who finished second with nine electoral votes. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. John Adams. Washington never really ran for president. Editor's . Washington was essentially unopposed, but Adams faced a competitive re-election against Governor George Clinton of New York. George Washington, as the first president, was well aware of the great responsibility of defining the American presidency. 1st quadrennial U.S. presidential election, 17881789 United States presidential election, New York had ratified the Constitution but its, See "Alternative methods for choosing electors" under, "17881789 United States presidential election", Learn how and when to remove this template message, National Archives and Records Administration, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "The Electoral College Count for the Presidential Election of 1789", 178889 United States House of Representatives elections, "National General Election VEP Turnout Rates, 1789-Present", "A Saturday Session in the First Congress | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives", "The Electoral Count for the Presidential Election of 1789", United States presidential election, 1789, Presidential Election of 1789: A Resource Guide, A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns, 17871825, "A Historical Analysis of the Electoral College", Initiated, co-wrote, 1769 Virginia Association, 178889 United States presidential election, Longfellow HouseWashington's Headquarters National Historic Site, George Washington and the Revolutionary War Door, General George Washington Resigning His Commission, Washington and Jefferson National Forests, WashingtonRochambeau Revolutionary Route, Chairman of the Marine Committee, 1775-1779, United States presidential election 17881789, Massachusetts Historical Society holdings, A Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, Family home and John Quincy Adams birthplace, Co-founder and second president, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Letters of Mrs. Adams, the Wife of John Adams, elections in which the winner lost the popular vote, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=17881789_United_States_presidential_election&oldid=1141583738, Articles needing additional references from April 2017, All articles needing additional references, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using bar box without float left or float right, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, each elector chosen by voters statewide; however, if no candidate wins majority, state legislature appoints electors from top ten candidates, state divided into electoral districts, with one elector chosen per district by the voters of that district, state had not yet ratified the Constitution, two electors appointed by state legislature, each remaining elector chosen by state legislature from the two most popular candidates in each U.S. House district. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday will release his book, "The Courage to be Free," to much anticipation ahead of his expected plunge into the 2024 presidential race. The Iowa Journal of History and Politics 2 (1904): 3-33. The crossword clue possible answer is available in 5 letters. Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term? No formal political parties existed, though an informally organized consistent difference of opinion had already manifested between Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The president and vice president are the only elected federal officials chosen by the Electoral College instead of by direct popular vote. From there, the rest of the field received very few votes each. Donald Trump. Collier, Christopher. Of the remaining candidates, only Adams, Jay, and Hancock received votes from more than one state; with 34 votes, Adams finished second behind only Washington, and by virtue of which fact was elected vice president. As a result, his signature on the new Constitution was a deciding endorsement for some of those who had opposed federalization. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. However, some advisers and fellow statesmen argued that the volatile political . Limited, primitive political campaigning occurred in states and localities where swaying public opinion might matter. Historically, over 99 percent of all electors have cast their ballots in line with the voters. Because few doubted that Washington would receive the greatest number of votes, Adams and Clinton were effectively competing for the vice presidency; under the letter of the law, however, they were technically candidates for president competing against Washington. As a result, he became the first Vice President of the United States. Corrections? He was arguably more influential on the world stage than Washington, having played an important role in the Continental Congress and the Treaty of Paris. The enormously popular Washington was distinguished as the former Commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. READ MORE: Why Was the Electoral College Created? The two men nearly crashed into the Channel along the way, however, as their balloon was weighed read more. Because Washington was from Virginia, then the largest state, many assumed that electors would choose a vice president from a northern state. There were 12 names on the ballot which is a lot by current standards where we are used to our two-party system and maybe some independents. 6577. ", D. Jason BerggrenGeorgia Southwestern State University. Citizens of the new nation showed up in droves. Answer: The first presidential elections were conducted under a system that allowed electors to cast two votes, with the winner becoming President and the second place finisher becoming Vice President. Because the two houses of the New York legislature could not agree on electors, the state did not cast its electoral vote. Paullin, Charles O. Learn about the vital role that Washington played during our founding. The successful execution of a second democratic election in the United States helped legitimize the institution of the American presidency. Your email address will not be published. George Washington, President of the United States (1789-1797) Born out of the Anti-Federalist faction that had opposed the Constitution in 1788, the Democratic-Republican Party was the main opposition to the agenda of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. However, officially, there were three names on the ballot, with the other two deemed presidential candidates on a technicality. Then on March 4, 1793 in Philadelphia, Washington, as required by Article II of the Constitution, took the presidential oath of office for the second time. [3] Adams received 34 electoral votes, one short of a majority because the Constitution did not require an outright majority in the Electoral College prior to ratification of the Twelfth Amendment to elect a runner-up as vice president, Adams was elected to that post. In order to win the presidency, a candidate needs a majority of 270 electoral votes out of a possible 538. He won the Presidents job based on his influence and experience. *Electors were chosen by legislatures in many states, not by popular vote. View the Primary Source:Washingtons First Inaugural Address|Second Inaugural Address. Web. Clinton was from an electorally important swing state, and he convinced party leaders that he would be a stronger candidate than another New Yorker, Senator Aaron Burr. (b) Two electors from Maryland and one elector from Vermont did not cast votes. The elections of 1792 were the first ones in the United States to be contested on anything resembling a partisan basis. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. He received the congressional notification about his win on April 16th before taking part in the first-ever inauguration on April 30th. On April 16, after receiving congressional notification of the honour, Washington set out from Mount Vernon, reaching New York City in time to be inaugurated on April 30 . This is largely ceremonial: Because electors nearly always vote with their party, presidential elections are essentially decided on Election Day. Washington was supported by practically all sides throughout his presidency and gained more popularity with the passage of the Bill of Rights. Clinton, the Governor of New York and a former anti-Federalist leader, became the party's nominee after he won the backing of Jefferson and James Madison. Print. George Washington had wished to retire at the end of his first term in office. Washington, who remained immensely popular throughout the United States, thus eventually agreed to run for reelection in 1792. . The vote totals of Virginia appear to be incomplete. (The previous two were the presidential elections of 1789 and 1792, in which George Washington ran without serious opposition.) Jefferson: McFarland & Company. (a) New York's legislature did not choose electors on time. In addition to defining the actual powers of the office, Washington also needed to show the new nation how the leader of a democracy should behave socially. John Adams. As the only true national, interregional hero, Washington--the inevitable president in 1789--had become the indispensable president. 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