United States presidential election, 1792
The second election of the President of the United States of America took place in 1792. When choosing the incumbent George Washington was re-elected and thus remained President of the United States.
Electoral system
The former electoral system gave each elector two votes. Each elector had to vote at least for a candidate outside of his home state. To become president, the candidate had an absolute majority of the votes of the electors reached, the candidate with the second highest number of votes became Vice President, for him no absolute majority was required.
Incumbent Washington, who actually was about to retire, was persuaded by people such as James Madison and Thomas Jefferson of them to run a second time for the office of President. The election of 1792 was the first for which political parties began to form. The Federalist Party, led by Alexander Hamilton, advocated a strong, affecting the economy, government. The Democratic- Republican Party, led by Thomas Jefferson, on the other hand sat down for a decentralized government, a strict interpretation of the Constitution and an agricultural nation a. Washington himself had no party affiliation.
Candidates
George Clinton
Thomas Jefferson
George Washington
- John Adams, Acting Vice President of the United States, from Massachusetts
- Aaron Burr, Senator for New York
- George Clinton, Governor of New York
- Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State of the United States, from Virginia
- George Washington, Acting President of the United States, from Virginia
The choice
Washington won the election as it did the previous unopposed. To the Office of the Vice President competed George Clinton ( Democratic- Republican Party ) and the incumbent John Adams ( Federalist Party), who could the election with 77 votes ahead of Clinton by 50 votes, Jefferson with four voices and Aaron Burr decided with one voice for themselves.