The First Presidential Election in the United States of America

The United States presidential election of 1789, the only one to not take place in an even numbered year, followed the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788. The polls opened on December 15, 1788 and closed on January 10, 1789. In this election, George Washington was elected for the first of his two terms as President of the United States, and John Adams became the first Vice President of the United States.

There was no chief executive before this election. Previously under the Articles of Confederation,the national government was headed by the Confederation Congress, which had a ceremonial presiding officer but no independent executive branch.

The enormously popular Washington ran unopposed with the only real issue being who would be chosen as vice president. Under the system then in place, each elector cast two votes; if a person received a vote from a majority of the electors, that person became president, and the runner-up became vice president. All 69 electors cast one vote for Washington. Their other votes were divided among eleven other candidates, with John Adams receiving the most and becoming vice president. The Twelfth Amendment, ratified in 1804, would change this procedure, requiring each elector to cast distinct votes for president and vice president.

To see the other canidates for VP for this election go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._presidential_election,_1789