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1792 United States elections. Presidential election results map. Green denotes states won by Washington. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes cast by each state. The 1792 United States elections elected the members of the 3rd United States Congress.
In 1792, the second presidential election, George Washington was unanimously re-elected president of the United States. Carrying large and small states, northern and southern states, Washington received 132 electoral votes, one vote from each participant in the Electoral College.
- Overview
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United States presidential election of 1792, American presidential election held in 1792, in which George Washington unanimously won a second term as president of the United States.
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.
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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.
For the results of the previous election, see United States presidential election of 1789. For the results of the subsequent election, see United States presidential election of 1796.
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The existence of party caucuses and voting blocs in Congress, the use of party newspapers and constituent letters to attract voters, and the coordinated efforts to choose candidates for national office are several features of modern party politics, but one essential element was missing.
Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes cast by each state. The 1792 United States presidential election resulted incumbent President George Washington elected to a second term without a competitor by electoral college, vice president John Adams was re-elected as vice president but was against a competitive re-election Governor George ...
The United States presidential election of 1792 was the second presidential election in the United States, and the first in which each of the original 13 states appointed electors (in addition to newly added states Kentucky and Vermont).
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Once again, the electors unanimously selected Washington. John Adams won again, for the position of Vice President. However, Adams only received 77 votes, compared to 50 votes received by Governor George Clinton. State results in 1792. The Election Results of 1792 Washington runs for a second term.
