The following essay was first published in Constituting America.
George
Washington won the first presidency under the newly established Constitution.
He ran unopposed, professed not to want the job, and remained for the most part at
Mount Vernon, yet won unanimously. Many believe he never campaigned, but instead
acquiesced to a call to duty from his countrymen. Perhaps it was not so simple.
People
think of Washington as a man of honor who won a war through strength of character
and perseverance, and as a president who didn’t cling to power. From our
perspective in time, he appears etched-in-marble and stiff as a board. Washington
was tall, stately, reserved, and preoccupied with his reputation, but he also
loved to dance, play cards, socialize over meals, and attend the theater. He
was a superb horseman, ran his plantation with a sharp eye for profit, and
attended church regularly. Washington was a vibrant, athletic man who wanted
most of all to be loved by his countrymen.
Washington
was the preeminent politician of his age and maintained good relationships with
all the significant people in the country. To say he didn’t campaign for the
presidency is to ignore decades of relentless politicking. (When Dwight
Eisenhower was told he was not a politician, he replied that no one could
become General of the Army without being a politician.) Washington bragged he
never ate alone, made sure he was a central figure in all the founding events,
collected a cadre of bright and capable people, and understood branding well
before Madison Avenue had a clue.
