- Date:
- February 4, 1789
- Location:
- United States
United States presidential election of 1789
-
What was the United States presidential election of 1789?
The United States presidential election of 1789, held on February 4, 1789, resulted in George Washington unanimously becoming the first president. Electors from 10 of the 13 states cast their votes.
As commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, Washington's leadership earned him respect and loyalty, which translated into support for the new Constitution and his presidency. All but three of the 72 electors cast their ballots. Washington received all 69 votes, and John Adams, with nearly half of the remaining votes, became vice president.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Who was elected as the first President in the 1789 election?
In the United States presidential election of 1789, George Washington was unanimously elected as the first president. Electors from 10 of the 13 extant states cast their votes on February 4, 1789. Washington received all 69 ballots. John Adams, who received nearly half of the remaining votes, was elected vice president. Washington's inauguration took place on April 30 in New York City.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How was the President chosen in the 1789 election?
In the 1789 election, electors chosen by state legislatures convened in 10 states to cast their ballots. Each elector voted for two candidates. Of the 72 electors, 69 cast their ballots for George Washington, who had presided over the Constitutional Convention of May 1787. Nearly half of the voters cast their second vote for John Adams, who was then elected vice president. The remaining votes were divided among 10 other candidates. Because the framers of the Constitution did not devise a method for nominating presidential candidates, the selection process was originally nonpartisan.
6 Britannica Sources- presidency of the United States of America: Deciding to run
- United States presidential election of 1792: The election
- Electoral College: History and operation
- How Does the Electoral College Work?
- United States presidential election of 1800: The electoral college vote
- United States presidential election of 1789: Results of the 1789 election
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Who were the main candidates in the 1789 presidential election?
In the 1789 U.S. presidential election, George Washington was unanimously chosen as the first president by electors. Washington appeared on all 69 ballots. Nearly half the voters cast their second vote for John Adams, who was then elected vice president. The remainder of the votes were divided among ten other candidates.
Other candidates included John Jay, R.H. Harrison, John Rutledge, John Hancock, and George Clinton. Electors voted for two candidates. There were no formally organized parties.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What was unique about the voting process in the 1789 election?
The 1789 election holds a distinctive place in U.S. history because it was the first presidential election held after the adoption of the Constitution. Several aspects of the process were unique:
- No formal parties George Washington won unanimously without any party affiliation.
- Electors State legislatures chose electors, who then voted for two candidates.
- Electoral College The Electoral College system was new, designed to select the most qualified individuals for president and vice president. Each state had a number of electors equal to its congressional representation.
- Voting process Electors voted for two people, one of whom had to be from another state. The person with the most votes became president, and the runner-up became vice president.
- Uncontested election As the first election, the focus was more on establishing the process rather than partisan competition.
- Limited popular vote Most states did not have a direct popular vote for president.
- Later changes The 12th Amendment would later change the process to separate ballots for president and vice president.
7 Britannica Sources- United States: Suffrage
- presidency of the United States of America: Postrevolutionary period
- United States presidential election of 1792: The election
- Electoral College: History and operation
- United States presidential election of 1796: Rise of the political party system
- How Does the Electoral College Work?
- United States presidential election of 1789: Results of the 1789 election
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did the results of the 1789 election shape the early United States government?
The 1789 election, in which George Washington was unanimously chosen as the first president by electors, significantly shaped the early United States government. His leadership during the Revolutionary War and his endorsement of the new Constitution were crucial in establishing a strong federal government.
Washington's administration set several important precedents. He established the cabinet by gathering department heads for advice and retired after two terms, which became a tradition until 1940. His Farewell Address also laid the foundation for America's isolationist foreign policy.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
United States presidential election of 1789, American presidential election held on February 4, 1789, in which George Washington was unanimously chosen as the first president of the United States by electors from 10 of the 13 extant states.
At a glance: the election of 1789
The first presidential election
Following the Constitutional Convention of May 1787, over which George Washington had presided, his ascent to the presidency was all but a fait accompli. As commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, Washington had proven masterful at balancing the strategic and political demands of the office. His persistence and devotion to his men and his perpetual mindfulness of the ideals for which they were fighting won him the respect and loyalty of many. As a result, his signature on the new Constitution was a deciding endorsement for some of those who had opposed federalization.
Read about other presidential elections that changed the course of history.
Following the ratification of the Constitution by the necessary nine states in July of 1788, Congress set January 7 of the following year as the date by which states were required to choose electors. Those chosen would cast their votes a month later, on February 4. 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. On February 4, 1789, electors convened in 10 states to cast their ballots. 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. Of the 72 electors, all but three cast their ballots (electors voted for two candidates). 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 remainder of the votes were divided among 10 other candidates.
On April 16, after receiving congressional notification of the honor, Washington set out from Mount Vernon, reaching New York City in time to be inaugurated on April 30. 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. He came across the Hudson River in a specially built barge decorated in red, white, and blue. The inaugural ceremony was performed on Wall Street, near the spot now marked by John Quincy Adams Ward’s statue of Washington. A great crowd broke into cheers as Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall, took the oath administered by Chancellor Robert Livingston and retired indoors to read to Congress his inaugural address. Washington was clad in a brown suit of American manufacture, but he wore white stockings and a sword after the fashion of European courts.
For the results of the subsequent election, see United States presidential election of 1792.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
Results of the 1789 election
The results of the 1789 U.S. presidential election are provided in the table.
| presidential candidate | political party | electoral votes | popular votes* |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Electors were chosen by legislatures in many states, not by popular 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. Because the two houses of the New York legislature could not agree on electors, the state did not cast its electoral vote. North Carolina and Rhode Island had not yet ratified the Constitution. | |||
| Source: United States Office of the Federal Register. | |||
| George Washington | no formally organized parties | 69** | |
| John Adams | 34 | ||
| John Jay | 9 | ||
| R.H. Harrison | 6 | ||
| John Rutledge | 6 | ||
| John Hancock | 4 | ||
| George Clinton | 3 | ||
| Samuel Huntington | 2 | ||
| John Milton | 2 | ||
| James Armstrong | 1 | ||
| Benjamin Lincoln | 1 | ||
| Edward Telfair | 1 | ||
| not voted | 44 | ||