U.S. presidential election, 1789
From Freepedia
Image:ElectoralCollege1789-Large.png The U.S. presidential election of 1789 was the first presidential election in the United States of America. Prior to the adoption of the United States Constitution in 1789, the United States had no office of President. (While there was an office under the Articles of Confederation called the President of the United States in Congress Assembled, it was the chair of the Congress and was akin to the Speaker of the House or the President of the Senate.)
New York failed to appoint its allotment of eight electors, and subsequently cast no electoral votes. North Carolina and Rhode Island also did not cast votes, as they had not yet ratified the United States Constitution.
For all intents and purposes, George Washington ran unopposed for election as President. Under the system then in place, each voting elector cast two votes, and the recipient of the greatest number of votes was elected President, providing they equaled or exceeded half the total number of electors. The runner-up became Vice President. (See Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution for a fuller description of the pre-12th Amendment electoral system.)
The recipient of 34 electoral votes, John Adams of Massachusetts, finished second in voting and as such was elected Vice President of the United States.
Contents |
General election
Results
| Presidential Candidate | Party | Home State | Popular Vote(a) | Electoral Vote(b), (c), (d) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | Percentage | ||||
| George Washington | (none) | Virginia | — | — | 69 |
| John Adams | (none) | Massachusetts | — | — | 34 |
| John Jay | (none) | New York | — | — | 9 |
| Robert H. Harrison | (none) | Maryland | — | — | 6 |
| John Rutledge | (none) | South Carolina | — | — | 6 |
| John Hancock | (none) | Massachusetts | — | — | 4 |
| George Clinton | (none) | New York | — | — | 3 |
| Samuel Huntington | (none) | Connecticut | — | — | 2 |
| John Milton | (none) | Georgia | — | — | 2 |
| James Armstrong | (none) | Pennsylvania | — | — | 1 |
| Benjamin Lincoln | (none) | Massachusetts | — | — | 1 |
| Edward Telfair | (none) | Georgia | — | — | 1 |
| Total | — | 100.0% | 138 | ||
| Needed to win | 35 | ||||
Source (Electoral Vote): Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996. Official website of the National Archives. (July 30, 2005).
(a) The popular vote is not tabulated because (1) only 6 of the 10 states casting electoral votes chose electors by any form of popular vote and (2) pre-Twelfth Amendment electoral vote rules obscure the intentions of the voters.
(b) The New York legislature failed to appoint its allotted 8 electors in time, so there were no voting electors from New York.
(c) Two electors from Maryland did not vote.
(d) One elector from Virginia did not vote and another elector from Virginia was not chosen because an election district failed to submit returns.
Breakdown by ticket
| Presidential Candidate | Running Mate | Electoral Vote |
|---|---|---|
| George Washington | John Adams | 34 |
| George Washington | John Jay | 9 |
| George Washington | Robert H. Harrison | 6 |
| George Washington | John Rutledge | 6 |
| George Washington | John Hancock | 4 |
| George Washington | George Clinton | 3 |
| George Washington | Samuel Huntington | 2 |
| George Washington | John Milton | 2 |
| George Washington | James Armstrong | 1 |
| George Washington | Benjamin Lincoln | 1 |
| George Washington | Edward Telfair | 1 |
Electoral college selection
| Method of choosing Electors | State(s) |
|---|---|
| each elector appointed by the state legislature | Connecticut Georgia New Jersey New York (a) South Carolina |
| each elector chosen by voters statewide | Maryland Pennsylvania |
| each elector chosen by voters statewide; however, each voter only allowed to pick one candidate and top three vote-getters become electors | Delaware |
| Massachusetts |
| each elector chosen by voters statewide; however, if no candidate wins majority, state legislature appoints elector from top two candidates | New Hampshire |
| state is divided into electoral districts, with one elector chosen per district by the voters of that district | Virginia (b) |
(a) New York's legislature deadlocked, so no electors were chosen.
(b) One electoral district failed to chose an elector.
See also
| U.S. presidential elections | |
|---|---|
|
1789–1799: 1789 | 1792 | 1796 | |
References
- Books
- {{{Author|}}}{{|{{{3}}}}}}|show1| (1976 – 1989)}}{{{{{Year|}}}}}}|show1|.}} {{|{{{3}}}}}}|show1|[{{{URL}}}}} The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections, 1788–1790{{|{{{3}}}}}}|show1|]}}{{|{{{3}}}}}}|show1|, {{{Pages}}}}}{{|{{{3}}}}}}|Show1|, Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press}}. {{{ID|}}}
- Web sites
- "The Electoral Count for the Presidential Election of 1789". The Papers of George Washington. URL accessed on May 4, 2005.
- "A Historical Analysis of the Electoral College". The Green Papers. URL accessed on February 17, 2005.
