Washington Is Unanimously Elected as the First President of the United States

The Constitution of the United States was ratified by the necessary nine states in June of 1788. On February 4th of the following year, the electoral college met and cast their votes for the election of president. While everyone assumed that George Washington would be elected, the votes would not be counted until the new Congress convened. The newly elected Congress convened on March 4, 1789 in New York City, but it took a month for a quorum to be achieved. Finally, on April 6th the ballots were opened and counted and it was determned that George Washington had been unanimously elected as our nation's first president, and our only president to ever be unanimously elected. Even still, Washington himself was not officially notified of his election until April 14, 1789. Above is a print by Howard Pyle of Washington receiving official word of his election at his Mount Vernon home.

Washington Sets Out From Mount Vernon to be Inaugurated as President

While Washington owned a lot of land, he also was in debt as a result of the neglect of his Mount Vernon plantation during the Revolutionary War and had very little cash. As a result, Washington had to borrow money to pay for his trip to New York for his inauguration. In this regard, above is an illustration of Washington being cheered by his neighbors as he set out in his carriage from Mount Vernon on his trip to New York City for his inauguration as our nation's first President.

Washington Greeted by Crowds On His Way to His Inauguration as President

Washington set out from Mount Vernon to New York City for his inauguration on April 16, 1789, with plans for his wife Martha and their children to follow at a later date. The trip took seven days, with Washington being greeted by large crowds, the ringing of church bells, the firing of cannon, and receptions at every city along the way.

Reception at Bridge At Trenton On His Way to His Inauguration

One of the most noteworthy of receptions that greeted Washington along his route was at the bridge at Trenton, New Jersey, the site of Washington's first victory in battle during the Revolutionary War. There, he was greeted by a large garland constructed over the bridge and girls throwing flower petals in front of his path.

Reception Upon Arriving at New York Harbor On His Way to His Inauguration

Upon reaching Elizabethtown, New Jersey on April 23, 1789, Washington was escorted across New York Harbor harbor to Manhattan in a specially built barge rowed by thirteen sailors in white. He was also accompanied by a committee consisting of three newly elected U.S. Senator and five newly elected Representatives. While being rowed across the harbor, Washington was saluted by all the ships that had congregated in the harbor to greet him, including a Spanish ship that displayed an array of flags of all nations and fired a thirteen gun salute in Washington's honor. Meanwhile, upon reaching the New York side of the harbor, Washington was greeted with another thirteen gun salute from the fort there and an even larger crowd of people and officials.

Inauguration as Our Nation's First President

On April 30, 1789, George Washington was sworn in as our nation's first President. For the inauguration ceremony, he worn a plain American-made brown suit with buttons with eagles embozzed on them, white stockings, and a ceremonial sword. The inauguration ceremony took place at Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City. It was conducted on a balcony overlooking a cheering crowd below. After the brief ceremony, Washington and the other dignitaries returned to the Senate chamber inside where Washington gave his inaugural speech.

President George Washington and His Cabinet

Pictured in this illustration are President George Washington and his cabinet. From left to right, illustrated are George Washington, Secretary of War Henry Knox, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph. Not pictured because he was not technically a part of the Cabinet was Vice President John Adams. Historians generally agree that George Washington put together the most brilliant group of cabinet officers in our nation's history. Unlike subsequent presidents that often polled their cabinet officers in making decisions, however, George Washington made all presidential decisions. He would often seek memos from his cabinet officers to seek their differing opinions, but he never put decisions to a vote. Instead, his cabinet was modeled after his counsel of generals underneath himself where he sought their views, but there could only be one commander. From today's perspective, Washington might be accused of micro-managing. But given the small size of the federal government when he was President and the lack of the type of White House support staff that modern presidents have to assist them, George Washington had no choice but to become involved in almost all the details of running the new government. This was one of the reasons why George Washington was the most qualified to become the nation's first president - since he had experience in running a large plantation (that was larger than the entire federal government when Washington was President) and had experience in commanding the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Also, George Washington was the one person that the country could unite behind in putting aside their regional differences.