Washington was unanimously elected president in 1789 and thus began his third and final labor in the creation of the United States, and—given the temper of the times—it is fortunate that a man of his character and reputation occupied that office for the first eight years under the Constitution. Washington set the tone—he adopted trappings for his office that some found pompous or pretentious, but his purpose was to create an office as a symbol of America that would command the respect of the Europeans, who remained skeptical of this "republican experiment." Washington, like most of his countrymen, assumed that the government would function smoothly, but it was a trying time.
Washington really wanted to serve only one term; he missed his home at Mount Vernon and his life as a prosperous gentleman farmer. In his inaugural address he had described his plantation "as the asylum of my declining years—a retreat which was rendered every day more necessary as well as more dear to me by the addition of habit to inclination." But by the end of Washington's first term, politics had already become bitter enough that Hamilton urged him to stay, arguing that without his firm hand at the helm, the ship of state might well founder upon the shoals of partisan bickering. Reluctantly, Washington agreed, but to a certain extent lived to regret his decision. In his second term, politics continued to become more sharply focused, and even Washington himself was not above the slings and arrows of his partisan opponents. He learned how to play politics, however, as when he withheld the Jay Treaty (discussed below) from the Senate until the time was ripe for its likely approval. Hamilton remained close to him, but Jefferson, his secretary of state, drifted away, and by the end of Washington's second term, Washington and Jefferson were no longer on speaking terms, a sad situation that continued to the end of Washington's life.
At the end of his second term Washington did retire, leaving his famous farewell address as a guidepost for the future of the nation he had served so well. During his brief retirement Mount Vernon became something of a Mecca for people, including foreigners, who were interested in and admirers of the new American republic. Visitors came in droves from far and near, and were greeted with warm hospitality, although Washington himself kept his traditional aloofness from all but his very closest friends. His retirement lasted less than three years, for he was struck down after becoming chilled while riding during a winter storm. He died on December 14, 1799.
In summary, Washington's presidency could be defined as follows:
• He was firm, dignified, and cautious.
• He understood that the separation of powers was important for success of the government.
• Thus he exhibited respect for Congress, but knew his own place as well.
• There was little guidance in the Constitution about a cabinet, so the offices had to be created under his guidance: War, State, Treasury, and Justice (the attorney general) were the first cabinet posts.
• Washington tried not to make decisions according to politics, but rather according to what seemed best for the nation. In the end he tended to agree with the Federalist ideas of Hamilton.
• Nota bene: The great presidents have tended to be those who are most able to rise above partisan politics when deciding critical issues.
• Note also: For all his restraint, Washington asserted presidential power, as with the Creek Treaty ratification by the Senate.
World History
