Many of these names are no longer widely known following their loss and lack of later political achievement. On Feb. 13, 1793, the votes were counted during a joint session of Congress. George Washington had wished to retire at the end of his first term in office. No nomination process existed at the time of planning, and thus, the framers of the Constitution presumed that Washington would be elected unopposed. George Clinton, a vehement champion of states rights. Who did George Washington run against? North Carolina, Rhode Island, and New York abstained from the process; the former two states had not ratified the Constitution, and the latter was in the midst of an internecine legislative conflict. 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). The vote totals of Virginia appear to be incomplete. (g) The identity of this candidate comes from The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections (Gordon DenBoer (ed. With 69 electoral votes, Washington won the support of each participating elector. In 1789, the first presidential election, George Washington was unanimously elected president of the United States. Although electors arent constitutionally mandated to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, it is demanded by tradition and required by law in 26 states and the District of Columbia (in some states, violating this rule is punishable by $1,000 fine). (Two electors from Maryland and one from Vermont were absent and did not vote.) Five candidates split the remaining seven votes. The Life of the Parties: A History of American Political Parties. John Hancock did even worse. There he enlisted in a unit formed by Irish Loyalists to fight the American colonials and General Washingtons Continental Army. In 1792, it was time for the second United States presidential election. The choice for vice president was more divisive. (2002). 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. (c) Those states that did choose electors by popular vote had widely varying restrictions on suffrage via property requirements. 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. We don't accept government funding and rely upon private contributions to help preserve George Washington's home and legacy. Paullin, Charles O. The Washington Post ran with it the first day, as if it were true. As a result, he became the first Vice President of the United States. Limited, primitive political campaigning occurred in states and localities where swaying public opinion might matter. Commenting on his re-election, Washington proclaimed, "I am again called upon by the voice of my country to execute the functions of its chief magistrate. Florida Gov. 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. He won the Presidents job based on his influence and experience. Her entourage attracted considerable attention and was greeted by crowded streets filled with admirers, ringing church bells, fireworks, and gun salutes. 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.". George Washington was unanimously elected for the first of his two terms as president and John Adams became the first vice president. McDonald, Forrest. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. He took 50 votes against Adams 77. Source: United States Office of the Federal Register. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Corrections? The opposition led by Jefferson and Madison would become known as the Democratic-Republican Party. The 1792 United States presidential election was the second quadrennial presidential election. Those chosen would cast their votes a month later, on February 4. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. He made the comments to Washington Post journalists in an . James Madison later called the rambling first draft a "strange production". 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial HighwayMount Vernon, Virginia 22121. Washington also did not run unopposed for the second election. 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. As expected, George Washington won the . Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. (e) Two electors from Maryland did not vote. "Voting and American Democracy." Voter turnout comprised a low single-digit percentage of the adult population. The results of the 1792 U.S. presidential election are provided in the table. The enormously popular Washington was distinguished as the former Commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Under the Articles of Confederation, which were ratified in 1781, the United States had no head of state. George Washington was the first President of the United States. Washington never really ran for president. 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. Ed. N.p. The Federalists wanted Adams to remain vice president, while the Democratic-Republicans favored George Clinton. 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. "I walk on untrodden ground," was a frequent comment he made in the days leading up to his first inauguration. Thomas Jefferson resigned his post as Secretary of State in 1792, while James Madison organized an anti-administration front in the Congress. However, this would have cost them the state of Virginia, as electors were not permitted to vote for two candidates from their home state and Washington was also a Virginian. 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. 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. By 1792, a party division had emerged between Federalists led by Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, who desired a stronger federal government with a leading role in the economy, and the Democratic-Republicans led by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and Representative James Madison of Virginia, who favored states' rights and opposed Hamilton's economic program. Join the thousands of fellow patriots who rely on our 5-minute newsletter to stay informed on the key events and trends that shaped our nation's past and continue to shape its present. The 17881789 United States presidential election was the first quadrennial presidential election. On Democracy. All 69 electors cast one vote for Washington, making his election unanimous. As the first, Washington had to create the American presidency from scratch. [2] A group of Democratic-Republican leaders met in Philadelphia in October 1792 and selected Clinton as the party's vice presidential candidate.[3]. Discover the Home of George and Martha Washington. All Rights Reserved. The deadlock still stood on January 7, 1789, the last day for electors to be chosen by the states, and New York thus failed to appoint the eight electors allocated to it by the constitution. In 1792, Washington received all 132 electoral votes, winning each of the fifteen states. In 1792, presidential elections were still conducted according to the original method established under the U.S. Constitution. United States presidential election of 1792, A History of U.S. Presidential Elections in Maps. 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. 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. In an interview for a new book that spanned reflections on his "two presidencies" and January 6, former President Donald Trump bragged he could probably beat George Washington and Abraham. All Rights Reserved. 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. "A New Matrix for National Politics." 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. The candidates were Chief Justice John Jay, a Hamiltonian, and incumbent George Clinton, the party's vice presidential nominee. Required fields are marked *. President Washington's inauguration was celebrated with illuminations and fireworks. The remaining 35 electoral votes were split among 10 candidates, including John Jay, who finished third with nine electoral votes. Washington appeared on all 69 ballots, while nearly half the voters cast their second vote for John Adams, who was duly elected vice president. The book now resides within The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. Indeed, the incumbent president enjoyed bipartisan support and received one vote from every elector. No one contested the election of George Washington, but he remained reluctant to run until the last minute, in . Your email address will not be published. Who ran against George Washington for the role of president? The retired general said that he had "no wish which aspires beyond the humble and happy lot of living and dying a private citizen" at his Mount Vernon farm. "I walk on untrodden ground," was a frequent comment he made in the days leading up to his first inauguration. Three states, however, did not contribute to the vote total. February 20, 2017. United States Presidential Elections, 1788-1860: The Official Results by County and State. He was bothered and disheartened by the emerging political divisions. Mount Vernon is owned and maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, a private, non-profit organization. As with the previous presidential election, each elector voted for two candidates. 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. All Rights Reserved. The Constitution stipulated that the position would be awarded to the runner-up in the Presidential election. Many Democratic-Republicans would have preferred to nominate Thomas Jefferson, their ideological leader and Washington's Secretary of State. (d) As the New York legislature failed to appoint its allotted eight electors in time, there were no voting electors from New York. 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. ", D. Jason BerggrenGeorgia Southwestern State University. By then, Anderson was in the twilight of a career that was equal parts acclaimed and hamstrung by racism. In this election, George Washington was elected for the first of his two terms as President of the United States, and John Adams became . The Mount Vernon Ladies Association has been maintaining the Mount Vernon Estate since they acquired it from the Washington family in 1858. Washington ascended to the presidency with practical experience, having served as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and president of the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Adams lost all of the electoral votes of Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Georgia. Yet, his dreams of a tranquil retirement were at odds with his peers andthe American people at large. Washington was supported by practically all sides throughout his presidency and gained more popularity with the passage of the Bill of Rights. On Feb. 4, 1789, electors convened in 10 states to cast their ballots. The party further split on two key social issues: Catholicism and prohibition. Crossword clues for Who ran against George Washington for president Armonk, NY: Sharpe Reference, 2003. Source: "The Electoral College Count for the Presidential Election of 1789". He was both a national hero and the favorite son of Virginia, the largest state at the time. The Washington Library is open to all researchers and scholars, by appointment only. We don't accept government funding and rely upon private contributions to help preserve George Washington's home and legacy. 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. However, we cant forget that there was competition from 11 other men in that maiden presidential election. [7], Source: United States Presidential Elections, 1788-1860: The Official Results by Michael J. Dubin[8]. On February 4, 1789, the 69 members of the Electoral College made George Washington the only chief executive to be unanimously elected. George Washington was unanimously elected for the first of his two terms as president and John Adams became the first vice president. 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. (b) Less than 1.8% of the population voted: the 1790 Census would count a total population of 3.0 million with a free population of 2.4 million and 600,000 slaves in those states casting electoral votes. In an result, he became the first of his two terms as president John... 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