Plantation owner, farmer, state legislator and Revolutionary War hero George Washington, at age 57, wanted nothing more than to retire to his estate on the Potomac River, below where the city that now bears his name sits.
But his youthful country still required his service. Reluctantly, Washington agreed to run for president, was unanimously elected and traveled to New York to be sworn into office 235 years ago today.
Centuries before people or events could “go viral,” George Washington’s exploits over his decades of public service had made him a household name throughout the young United States.
He had been an officer in the Virginia militia and had served seven years in the colony’s House of Burgesses. He had been selected as a delegate to the Continental Congress and was then named commander in chief of the Continental Army.
After victory over the British, Washington had resigned his commission with the intention of spending the rest of his life on his Mount Vernon estate. But the weak government set up by the former colonies proved to be inadequate, other Virginia leaders persuaded him to attend a constitutional convention in Philadelphia.
There, he was elected to preside over the convention. Once a new constitution was written, he became the obvious choice to become the nation’s first chief executive.
But how would Washington be addressed in his new job? He had been known simply as “General” or “Your Excellency.” John Adams suggested “Your Highness or “Your Most Benign Highness.” But with the Constitution prohibiting titles of nobility, it was eventually decided to call Washington “Mr. President.”
Washington wrote of his arrival in New York, recalling “the display of boats which attended and joined us on this occasion, some with vocal and some with instrumental music on board; the decorations of the ships, the roar of cannon, and the loud acclamations of the people which rent the skies, as I passed along the wharves.”
The Constitution had specified that the first presidential term was to begin on March 4. But that was the day some members of the Senate and the House of Representatives met for the first time in the nation’s capital of New York. They waited until they had a quorum — which happened on April 1 — before they counted the electoral votes and declared Washington the winner.
Washington was notified of his election on April 14. Two days later, he departed Mount Vernon for New York. He was given an enthusiastic welcome when he arrived via barge on April 23.
He was escorted to his new home — the “Presidential Mansion” at No. 3 Cherry Street and then treated to a banquet thrown by the governor of New York.
Washington was sworn into office a week later, on April 30, 1789.
June 14, 1775
Washington attended the Second Continental Congress in a full military uniform. Congress nominated Washington as commander in chief of the new continental army, elected him the next day. He formally took command on July 3, 1775.
Dec. 26, 1776
After a number of early defeats, Washington switched to a new strategy: One of attrition and surprise attacks. He led his army across an icy Delaware River on Christmas Day, 1776, and successfully attacked a Hessian force in Trenton, New Jersey.
Oct. 19, 1781
With British forces camped on a peninsula at Yorktown, Virginia, Washington led his army and allied French forces to surround the redcoats and, after a monthlong siege, accepted their surrender. It would be the last significant action of the war.
Dec. 23, 1783
With the war over and his plantation awaiting his personal attention, Washington resigned his commission. Congress was stunned: Most Americans wouldn’t have dissented if Washington had declared himself emperor of the new nation.
May-September 1787
The union of the former colonies was rapidly unraveling, placing the young nation in peril. Delegates from 12 states met in Philadelphia to search for solutions. They elected Washington to preside over what became an effort to write a new constitution.
September 1781-October 1794
An effort to tax distilled spirits met with angry protests in western Pennsylvania. Washington called up state militias and, at one point, led troops into rebellious territory — the only time a sitting president has led troops in the field.
Sept. 19, 1796
With the help of his colleagues Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, Washington ended his two terms as president with a poignant warning that disputes between the new phenomenon of political parties could pose a danger to the nation.
Dec. 14, 1799
After a respiratory ailment rapidly sapped Washington’s strength, he died at age 67. He had asked in his will for one of his slaves to be freed but the rest — 123 of them — to be freed after the death of his wife, Martha. She freed them all three weeks after his death.
This edition of Further Review was adapted for the web by Zak Curley.
