Electoral history of George Washington

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George Washington

American Revolution

Commander in Chief of the
Continental Army

- Valley Forge
- Battle of Trenton

Presiding Officer of
the Constitutional Convention

President of the United States

First term

Unanimous election

Second term

Farewell Address

Legacy

George Washington stood for public office five times, serving two terms in the Virginia House of Burgesses, and two terms as President of the United States. George Washington is, to date, the only independent to serve as U.S. president and the only person unanimously elected to that office.

1757 House of Burgesses election

Washington first stood for election to the Virginia House of Burgesses from Frederick County, Virginia in 1757, at the age of 25. Two burgesses were elected from each Virginia county by and among the male landowners. Unlike its successor, the Virginia House of Delegates, the House of Burgesses did not serve fixed terms and remained sitting until dissolved by the governor, or until seven years had passed, whichever occurred sooner.^[1]^[2]

Elections during this time were not conducted by secret ballot, but rather viva voce. Each elector would approach a table at which was seated the sheriff of the county, a clerk, and a representative of each candidate, and openly declare his vote. In elections to the House of Burgesses, each voter cast two votes and the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes were elected.^[3]

1757 House of Burgesses (from Frederick County)^[1]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Independent	Hugh West	271	46.64
Independent	Thomas Swearingen	270	46.47
Independent	George Washington	40	6.88

1758 House of Burgesses election

In 1758 Washington again stood for election to the House of Burgesses. Washington's campaign was managed by Colonel James Wood who procured 160 gallons of alcoholic drinks, which were distributed gratis to 391 voters in the county.^[4] Washington won the election with more than 39-percent of the vote. Thomas Bryan Martin, the nephew of the Lord Fairfax of Cameron, governor of Virginia, won Frederick County's other house seat.^[1]^[4]

1758 House of Burgesses (from Frederick County)^[1]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Independent	George Washington	310	39.04
Independent	Thomas Bryan Martin	240	30.22
Independent	Hugh West	199	25.06
Independent	Thomas Swearingen	45	5.67

1761 House of Burgesses election

Washington successfully stood for re-election to his seat in the House of Burgesses in 1761, campaigning with his neighbor George Mercer. Washington, Mercer, and the third candidate, Adam Stephen, had all fought together during the disastrous Battle of Fort Necessity in the Seven Years' War and, unlike Mercer, Stephen emerged as a critic of Washington with their rivalry continuing through to the American Revolution.^[5]^[1]^[3]

Washington and Mercer received the support of "the leaders of all the patrician families" of the county while Stephen attracted "the attention of the plebians".^[1]^[3]

1761 House of Burgesses (from Frederick County)^[1]
	Candidate	Votes	%
Independent	George Washington	505	42.15
Independent	George Mercer	399	33.30
Independent	Adam Stephen	294	24.54

1788 United States presidential election

Washington is inaugurated as president of the United States in 1789.

The first U.S. presidential election was held over a period of weeks from December 1788 to January 1789. Washington was elected with 69 of the 69 first-round votes cast in the United States Electoral College. With this election, Washington became the only U.S. president to be unanimously chosen.^[6]^[7]

No popular vote totals are listed in this table. In early elections, many electors were chosen by state legislatures instead of public balloting and, in those states which practiced public balloting, votes were cast for undifferentiated lists of candidates, leaving no or only partial vote totals.^[8]^[9]^[10]

1788 U.S. presidential election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	George Washington	69	100.00

1792 United States presidential election

Washington was unanimously re-elected President of the United States in the 1792 election, carrying all first-round electoral votes.^[7]

1792 U.S. presidential election^[11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	George Washington	132	100.00

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The First Election of Washington to the House of Burgesses". newrivernotes.com. Grayson County Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
↑ Gottlieb, Matthew. "House of Burgesses". encyclopediavirginia.org. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
1 2 3 Beeman, Richard (2015). The Varieties of Political Experience in Eighteenth-Century America. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 39–43. ISBN 0812201213.
1 2 Brusoe, Peter. "That time George Washington bought an election with 160 gallons of booze (and other Presidents' Day stories)". bgov.com. Bloomberg. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
↑ "Adam Stephen". mountvernonr.org. Mount Vernon Ladies' Association. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
↑ Chernow, Ron (February 2011). "George Washington: The Reluctant President". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
1 2 "Washington unanimously elected by Electoral College to first and second terms". history.com. History Channel. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
↑ Austin, Erik (1986). Political Facts of the United States Since 1789. Columbia University Press. p. 92. ISBN 0231060947.
↑ Duignan, Brian (2009). The Executive Branch of the Federal Government: Purpose, Process, and People. Rosen Publishing. p. 366. ISBN 1615300236.
↑ Berrry, Steve (2016). Presidential Lottery: The Reckless Gamble in Our Electoral System. Random House. p. 50. ISBN 0812986822.
1 2 "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996". archives.org. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved 4 November 2016.

George Washington

1st President of the United States, 1789–1797 Senior Officer of the Army, 1798–1799 Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, 1775–1783 Second Continental Congress, 1775 First Continental Congress, 1774

Military career Revolutionary War	Military career French and Indian War Jumonville Glen Battle of Fort Necessity Forbes Expedition Washington and the American Revolution Commander-in-chief, Continental Army Boston campaign Siege of Boston New York and New Jersey campaign Delaware River crossing Battle of Trenton Philadelphia campaign Valley Forge Battles of Saratoga Yorktown campaign Siege of Yorktown Culper spy ring Newburgh Conspiracy Newburgh letter Established, Badge of Military Merit Purple Heart Aides-de-Camp Commander-in-Chief's headquarters Morristown and Ford Mansion Horses: Nelson and Blueskin

Other U.S. founding events	1769 Virginia Association Continental Association 1774 Fairfax Resolves Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture 1785 Mount Vernon Conference Chairman, 1787 Constitutional Convention

Presidency	United States presidential election, 1788–89 1792 First inauguration inaugural bible Second inauguration Title of "Mr. President" Cabinet of the United States Secretary of State Attorney General Secretary of the Treasury Secretary of War Judiciary Act of 1789 Nonintercourse Act Whiskey Rebellion Militia Acts of 1792 Coinage Act of 1792 United States Mint Proclamation of Neutrality Neutrality Act of 1794 Jay Treaty Pinckney's Treaty Slave Trade Act of 1794 Residence Act Thanksgiving Proclamation Farewell Address State of the Union Address 1790 1791 1792 1793 1796 Cabinet Federal judicial appointments

Views and public image	Presidential library The Washington Papers Religious views Washington and slavery Town Destroyer Legacy

Life and homes	Early life Birthplace Ferry Farm boyhood home Mount Vernon Gristmill Woodlawn Plantation Samuel Osgood House, First Presidential Mansion Alexander Macomb House, Second Presidential Mansion President's House, Philadelphia Germantown White House Custis estate Potomac Company James River and Kanawha Canal Mountain Road Lottery Congressional Gold Medal Thanks of Congress President General, Society of the Cincinnati Washington College Washington and Lee University Electoral history of George Washington

Memorials and depictions	Washington, D.C. Washington state Washington Monument Mount Rushmore Washington's Birthday Purple Heart The Apotheosis of Washington George Washington (Houdon) George Washington (Ceracchi) Washington Crossing the Delaware Unfinished portrait Lansdowne portrait The Washington Family portrait Washington at Princeton painting George Washington University Washington University Washington Masonic National Memorial George Washington Memorial Parkway George Washington Bridge Washington and Jefferson National Forests Washington Monument, Baltimore Washington, D.C. statue List of monuments List of places U.S. Postage stamps Washington-Franklin Issues 1932 bicentennial Currency Washington quarter Washington dollar Cultural depictions George Washington (1984 miniseries 1986 sequel)

Related	Bibliography Founding Fathers of the United States Republicanism Federalist Party Federalist Era Virginia dynasty Coat of arms Cherry-tree anecdote River Farm Washington's Crossing 1751 Barbados trip Category Syng inkstand General of the Armies American Philosophical Society American Revolution patriots Mount Vernon Ladies' Association

Ancestry and family	Martha Washington (wife) John Parke Custis (stepson) George Washington Parke Custis (step-grandson, adopted son) Eleanor Parke Custis (step-granddaughter, adopted daughter) Augustine Washington (father) Mary Ball (mother) Lawrence Washington (half-brother) Augustine Washington Jr. (half-brother) Betty Washington Lewis (sister) Samuel Washington (brother) John A. Washington (brother) Charles Washington (brother) Lawrence Washington (grandfather) John Washington (great-grandfather) Bushrod Washington (nephew)

John Adams → Category

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