1788–89 United States elections
Elections for the 1st U.S. Congress / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The United States elections of 1788–1789 were the first federal elections in the United States following the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788. In the elections, George Washington was elected as the first president and the members of the 1st United States Congress were selected.
Presidential election year | |
Next Congress | 1st |
---|---|
Presidential election | |
Electoral vote | |
George Washington | 69 |
Presidential election results map. Green denotes states won by Washington. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes cast by each state.[note 1] | |
Senate elections | |
Overall control | Pro-Administration gain |
Seats contested | All 26 seats[1] |
Net seat change | Pro-Administration +13[2] |
Senate results Pro-Administration Anti-Administration Territories | |
House elections | |
Overall control | Pro-Administration gain |
Seats contested | All 59 voting members |
Net seat change | Pro-Administration +37[2] |
House of Representatives results Pro-Administration Anti-Administration Territories |
Formal political parties did not exist, as the leading politicians of the day largely distrusted the idea of "factions." However, in the years after the ratification of the Constitution, Congress would become broadly divided by the economic policies of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, with the Pro-Administration faction supporting those policies. Opposing them was the Anti-Administration faction, which sought a smaller role for the federal government.[3] In these elections, the Pro-Administration faction won majorities in both houses of Congress.
Meanwhile, General George Washington was elected as the country's first president, while John Adams, who finished with the second largest number of electoral votes, was elected as the first vice president.