In truth, the country held a broad consensus. Washington appeared on all 69 ballots, while nearly half the voters cast their second vote for John Adams, who was duly elected vice president. One month after President Washingtonleft Mount Vernon, Martha Washington set out on her own triumphant trip to the seat of the new government in New York. With a hand on the Bible, a "sacred volume" borrowed from a local Masonic lodge and subsequently known as the "George Washington Inaugural Bible," he said, "I, George Washington, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Federalists, backed by the great landed families and the city commercial interests, were the largest faction in the Senate, the smaller of the two chambers for which roughly a quarter of the state's free white male population was eligible to vote; but in the House of Representatives, with its larger membership and electorate, Anti-federalists representing the middling interests held the majority. He, too, was present for the signing of the Treaty of Paris and a leading figure during the creation of the Declaration of Independence. Under this system, each elector cast two votes: the candidate who received the greatest number of votes (so long as they won a majority) became president, while the runner-up became vice president. United States presidential election, 1792, Last edited on 23 February 2023, at 01:14, 179293 United States House of Representatives elections, List of 1792 United States presidential electors, "National General Election VEP Turnout Rates, 1789-Present", "1792 President of the United States, Electoral College", "A New Nation Votes - VA US President Race - Nov 00, 1792", "The Electoral Count for the Presidential Election of 1789", "A Historical Analysis of the Electoral College", A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns, 1787-1825, Presidential Election of 1792: A Resource Guide, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1792_United_States_presidential_election&oldid=1141036351, state is divided into electoral districts, with one elector chosen per district by the voters of that district, each elector appointed by the state legislature, two Congressional districts chose five electors each; the remaining two districts chose three electors, each elector chosen by majority vote of voters in Congressional district, if an insufficient number of electors are chosen by majority vote from a Congressional district, remaining electors would be appointed by the state legislature, each elector chosen by majority vote of voters statewide, if an insufficient number of electors are chosen by majority vote, runoff is held between the top 2, This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 01:14. Bowling, Kenneth R., and Donald R. Kennon. At the time, party organizations were still in their infancy, and the partisan allegiance of the candidates was not always evident: it is therefore difficult to say whether the Pennsylvania vote for Clinton was an instance of a faithless elector, or an elector voting as pledged.[5][6]. He received the congressional notification about his win on April 16th before taking part in the first-ever inauguration on April 30th. The battle for the vice presidency is interesting, looking at the votes cast for the second choice. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The Democratic-Republican Party, which had organized in opposition to the policies of Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, supported Clinton for the position of vice president. [2] Adams easily secured re-election. 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial HighwayMount Vernon, Virginia 22121. As with the previous presidential election, each elector voted for two candidates. The book now resides within The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. The election took place following the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788. The vote totals of Virginia appear to be incomplete. Washington also did not run unopposed for the second election. Landy, Marc, and Sidney M. Milkis. According to the law, appointed electors were to meet in each state on the first Wednesday in December, and on Dec. 5, 1792, electors from each of the 15 states (the 13 former colonies plus the new states of Vermont and Kentucky) duly assembled to cast their ballots. The first presidential election was held on the first Wednesday of January in 1789. "The Election of 1788-89." Watch our interview with Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Voting in Revolutionary America: A Study of Elections in the Original Thirteen States, 17761789. Every U.S. Presidential Election Since 1789. Corrections? Voters cast ballots to choose state electors; only white men who owned property were allowed to vote. Updates? February 20, 2017. 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. This is largely ceremonial: Because electors nearly always vote with their party, presidential elections are essentially decided on Election Day. Of the 72 electors, all but three cast their ballots (electors voted for two candidates). Aware that he would be closely scrutinized, Washington self-consciously chose clothing and household furnishings that would convey a particular message about his style and character. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1987. 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. Answer (1 of 5): At the founding of the Republic, it was not expected that anyone would run for President. (Four remaining votes were cast for Jefferson and one for Burr.) Thomas Jefferson predicted that a popular Northern leader such as Governor John Hancock of Massachusetts or John Adams, a former minister to Great Britain who had represented Massachusetts in Congress, would be elected vice president. This happened in the elections of 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000 and 2016. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-u-s-presidential-election. After a quorum was finally established, the Congress counted and certified the electoral vote count on April 6. (a) Only 6 of the 10 states casting electoral votes chose electors by any form of the popular vote. This answers first letter of which starts with N and can be found at the end of E. We think NOONE is the possible answer on this clue. The most significant features of this book are Washingtons personal notes, penciled in the margins. 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). 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 . States had varying methods for choosing presidential electors. The Washington Post ran with it the first day, as if it were true. 2023 Mount Vernon Ladies Association. John Adams, who would later become President Adams, was the clear runner-up in this race, with 34 of the 64 electors casting their second vote for him. Though no organized political parties yet existed, political opinion loosely divided between those who had more stridently and enthusiastically endorsed ratification of the Constitution, called Federalists or Cosmopolitans, and Anti-Federalists or Localists who had only more reluctantly, skeptically, or conditionally supported, or who had outright opposed ratification. Federalists attacked Clinton for his past association with the anti-Federalists. Three states eligible to do so declined due to political tensions at the time North Carolina, Rhode Island, and New York. Having lost the vice president position, he was appointed the 1st Chief Justice by President Washington. George Washington had wished to retire at the end of his first term in office. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. The enormously popular Washington was distinguished as the former Commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. As expected, George Washington won the . Open 365 days a year, Mount Vernon is located just 15 miles south of Washington DC. 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. The inaugural ceremony was performed on Wall Street, near the spot now marked by John Quincy Adams Wards statue of Washington. The sitting took place on October 3, 1789, probably in the president's official residence on Cherry Street in New York. Who ran against George Washington in the first election? Discover the Home of George and Martha Washington. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. Washington received 132 electoral votes, one from each elector. Fifteen states cast electoral votes in 1792: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia. United States presidential election of 1792, A History of U.S. Presidential Elections in Maps. Armonk, NY: Sharpe Reference, 2003. From the mansion to lush gardens and grounds, intriguing museum galleries, immersive programs, and the distillery and gristmill. OnMay 16 1789, Mrs. Washington and her grandchildren, Nelly and Washy, embarked on an 11-day journey through Baltimore, Philadelphia, and more. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Further Resources About: Who Ran Against George Washington? [4] Congress took twenty-eight days to assemble. But Washington's tremendous popularity was not transferable to Adams across the country, as the Vice President lost the South. Three states, however, did not contribute to the vote total. Two other candidates won the five remaining electoral votes. Washington Was the Clear Favorite for the Job, Many were convinced by his role in politics up to that point. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Six of the fifteen states chose electors by any form of popular vote. The United States presidential election of 1789 was the first presidential election in the United States of America. In 1789, the first presidential election, George Washingtonwas unanimously elected president of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Washington was clad in a brown suit of American manufacture, but he wore white stockings and a sword after the fashion of European courts. The Constitution established an Electoral College, based on each state's Congressional representation, in which each elector would cast two votes for two candidates, a procedure modified in 1804 by the ratification of the Twelfth Amendment. A student of pop culture and the arts, he wrote about popular (and semipopular) Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Of the 69 participating electors, each cast one vote for Washington, who was elected president. The 1792 United States presidential election was the second quadrennial presidential election. Washington spent eight days traveling from Virginia to New York for the inauguration. Source: United States Office of the Federal Register. It was held from Friday, November 2, to Wednesday, December 5, 1792. As the first, Washington had to create the American presidency from scratch. When Washington, in his Farewell Address, published in September 1796, announced his intention to . He came across the Hudson River in a specially built barge decorated in red, white, and blue. The Twelfth Amendment would eventually replace this system, requiring electors to cast one vote for president and one vote for vice president, but this change did not take effect until 1804. (The previous two were the presidential elections of 1789 and 1792, in which George Washington ran without serious opposition.) London, UK: Penguin Books. Our Digital Encyclopedia has all of the answers students and teachers need. The next highest total was that of Founding Father John Jay, who got nine of the second choice votes compared with six for both R.H. Harrison and John Routledge. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. Your email address will not be published. Today political parties usually nominate their slate of electors at their state conventions or by a vote of the partys central state committee, with party loyalists often being picked for the job. The disaster, the worst mining catastrophe in Oklahomas history, was mainly due to the mine owners emphasis on profits over safety. George Washington was unanimously elected for the first of his two terms as president and John Adams became the first vice president. In most states only white men, and in many only those who owned property, could vote. The remainder of the votes were divided among 10 other candidates. [17][18], The Constitution, in Article II, Section 1, provided that the state legislatures should decide the manner in which their Electors were chosen. Washington, who remained immensely popular throughout the United States, thus eventually agreed to run for reelection in 1792. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The remaining 35 electoral votes were split among 10 candidates, including John Jay, who finished third with nine electoral votes. Voter turnout comprised a low single-digit percentage of the adult population. February 2011. On April 14, Washington received official confirmation from Congress that he had been elected the first President of the United States. Although James Degnan went on the radio to plead for his daughters safety, the kidnapper never made any contact or read more, Just six days after the fall of the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship in Cuba, U.S. officials recognize the new provisional government of the island nation. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. George Washington was the first President of the United States. Washington was re-elected unanimously, receiving one vote from each of the 132 participating electors. Washington was loath to leave the comforts of Mount Vernon, but his fellow Founding Fathers viewed his acceptance of the presidency as a foregone conclusion. Almost seven years later, there is still no evidence. Source (popular vote): A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns 17871825[10]. The process began with each state having to choose its electors by January 7th, 1789. (d) As the New York legislature failed to appoint its allotted eight electors in time, there were no voting electors from New York. The Iowa Journal of History and Politics 2 (1904): 3-33. Discover what made Washington "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen". 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. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is the first incumbent in 40 years to be ousted after just one term. We don't accept government funding and rely upon private contributions to help preserve George Washington's home and legacy. The Mount Vernon Ladies Association has been maintaining the Mount Vernon Estate since they acquired it from the Washington family in 1858. On the other hand, Washington could not escape his conscience. 1. Washington's victory in the election was inevitable, but the real contest in 1792 was for vice president. The recipient of the most votes would then become president, and the runner-up vice president. This time, the field was narrow. He presided over the Constitutional Convention and encouraged some unsure about the new Constitution to, There Were 12 Candidates on the Final Ballot, John Adams Was a Worthy and Popular Opponent, He was arguably more influential on the world stage than Washington, having played an important role in the Continental Congress and the, Other Well-Known Figures Didnt Do As Well, From there, the rest of the field received very few votes each. Although John Ramage (circa 1748-1802) is well-known among art historians and collectors of portrait miniatures, his name is not immediately associated with Washington portraiture. 1. However, we cant forget that there was competition from 11 other men in that maiden presidential election. Washington was both an obvious first choice for president and possibly the only truly viable choice. Unanimously elected twice, President George Washington helped shape the office's future role and powers, as well as set both formal and informal precedents for future presidents. Required fields are marked *. For example, Hamilton aimed to ensure that Adams did not inadvertently tie Washington in the electoral vote. In 1792, Washington received all 132 electoral votes, winning each of the fifteen states. But it's not the first time . Major General William Howe Howe directed British troops during the early years of the war. The states chose 135 electors, out of whom 132 cast ballots. The Campaign and Election of 1796: Throughout Washington's presidency, Vice President Adams regarded himself as the heir apparent. [2] A group of Democratic-Republican leaders met in Philadelphia in October 1792 and selected Clinton as the party's vice presidential candidate.[3]. Please select which sections you would like to print: Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. After winning the Revolutionary War and helping set up the new government for his country at the Constitutional Convention, George Washington'sthoughts turned away from battlefields and assembly halls to a much more modest arena-- his home at his Mount Vernon estate -- and the opportunity of "living and dying a private citizen on my own farm.". However, primary sources, such as the Senate Journal, list only Armstrong's name, not his state. Many were convinced by his role in politics up to that point. Several respected sources, including the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress and the Political Graveyard, instead show this individual to be James Armstrong of Pennsylvania. 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