Suffering from diminished physical abilities, Pres. George Washington had wished to retire at the end of his first term in office. However, some advisers and fellow statesmen argued that the volatile political climate—marked not only by the ongoing conflict between Great Britain and France but also by a growing internal dispute between Federalists and Anti-Federalists that often divided along regional lines—demanded a president who could reliably maintain the young country’s stability. Washington, who remained immensely popular throughout the United States, thus eventually agreed to run for reelection in 1792.
While no effort was made to unseat Washington as president, Anti-Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, mounted a campaign during the year to replace the Federalist Vice Pres. John Adams. Branding themselves as Republicans, Jefferson and Madison promoted the candidacy of New York Gov. George Clinton, a vehement champion of states’ rights. Aaron Burr, New York’s attorney general, was briefly considered as a Republican candidate as well but ultimately ceded to Clinton.
On March 1, 1792, the U.S. Congress had approved a law that regulated the procedures by which a president and vice president of the United States were chosen. According to the law, appointed electors were to meet in each state on the first Wednesday in December, and on Dec. 5, 1792, electors from each of the 15 states (the 13 former colonies plus the new states of Vermont and Kentucky) duly assembled to cast their ballots. As with the previous presidential election, each elector voted for two candidates.
On Feb. 13, 1793, the votes were counted during a joint session of Congress. As expected, Washington received the maximum of 132 electoral votes and was therefore reelected as president. Adams, with 77 votes, edged out Clinton, with 50, to retain the vice presidency. (Four remaining votes were cast for Jefferson and one for Burr.) The successful execution of a second democratic election in the United States helped legitimize the institution of the American presidency.
Results of the 1792 election
The results of the 1792 U.S. presidential election are provided in the table.
|presidential candidate||political party||electoral votes||popular votes*|
|*Electors were chosen by legislatures in many states, not by popular vote.|
|Source: United States Office of the Federal Register.|
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