# 1788-89 Presidential Election The first U.S. presidential election, held between December 15, 1788 and January 10, 1789 across the 10 states that had ratified the Constitution at the time (North Carolina and Rhode Island had not yet ratified; New York's legislature failed to appoint electors in time). [[George Washington]] received all 69 electoral votes that were cast, making him the only president in American history elected unanimously by the [[Electoral College]] — a record matched only in his own 1792 reelection. [[John Adams]] finished second with 34 votes and became Vice President under the original Article II rules (which awarded the vice presidency to the runner-up). ## Result - **[[George Washington]]** (unaffiliated, Federalist-aligned) — 69 electoral votes (unanimous; 100%) - **[[John Adams]]** (Federalist) — 34 electoral votes (became VP) - Various others — scattered votes among 10 candidates There was no meaningful popular vote — most states' legislatures appointed electors directly rather than holding popular elections. ## Right-wing relevance The 1788-89 election is the founding precedent: the institution of the presidency in its first instantiation, the Electoral College in operation, the peaceful (in fact uncontested) selection of the first executive. Contemporary originalist constitutional doctrine appeals to this period as canonical practice. The fact that the country chose a former general with universal national stature is one of the founding-era contingencies that subsequent populist and military-figure presidential candidates have variously invoked. ## Connections - [[George Washington]] — Sole electoral-vote recipient. - [[John Adams]] — Vice President under the original Article II runner-up rules. ---