Washington, First President: Cobalt Character

The real history

When the first presidential electors voted in early 1789, all 69 of them chose Washington. Congress confirmed the result on April 14, and two days later he left Mount Vernon for New York, then the nation's capital. He wrote in his diary of "anxious and painful sensations" as he set out. On April 30, 1789, he was sworn in at Federal Hall.

The Constitution said little about how a president should run things day to day, and Washington expected every choice to become a precedent. After a frustrating visit to the Senate in August 1789 to ask its advice on a treaty with Native nations, he relied instead on his department heads: Thomas Jefferson at State, Alexander Hamilton at the Treasury, Henry Knox at War and Attorney General Edmund Randolph. He gathered them for the first cabinet meeting on November 26, 1791. He also appointed eleven Supreme Court justices over his two terms.

The job brought hard tests. He signed the bill creating a national bank in February 1791 over Jefferson's objections. In 1794 he called out militia from four states to end the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania, and General Anthony Wayne's army defeated a confederacy of Native nations at Fallen Timbers, after which settlers rushed onto their lands. Abroad, he kept the country neutral as European empires went to war.

Electors chose him unanimously again in 1792, with 132 votes. In 1796 he refused a third term. His Farewell Address, printed on September 19, 1796, warned against political parties and emotional ties to foreign nations. He returned home on March 15, 1797.

Sources

1. George Washington: Domestic Affairs, Miller Center, University of Virginia
2. George Washington: Campaigns and Elections, Miller Center, University of Virginia
3. George Washington's Inaugural Journey, George Washington's Mount Vernon

Checked against these sources on October 2, 2026. Spot a mistake? Report an error. How we check facts.