George Washington

1787: Constitutional Convention
Washington's retirement to Mount Vernon was short-lived. He made an exploratory trip to the western frontier in 1784,^[57] was persuaded to attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, and was unanimously elected president of the Convention. He participated little in the debates (though he did vote for or against the various articles), but his high prestige maintained collegiality and kept the delegates at their labors. The delegates designed the presidency with Washington in mind, and allowed him to define the office once elected.^[84] After the Convention, his support convinced many to vote for ratification; the new Constitution was ratified by all thirteen states.^[85]
Presidency (1789–1797)
Main article: Presidency of George Washington


Forensic recreation of Washington at the time of his first inauguration as president
The Electoral College elected Washington unanimously as the first president^{[Note 3]} in 1789, and again in the 1792 election; he remains the only president to have received 100 percent of the electoral votes.^{[Note 4]} John Adams, who received the next highest vote total, was elected Vice President. At his inauguration, Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States of America on April 30, 1789, at Federal Hall in New York City.
The 1st United States Congress voted to pay Washington a salary of $25,000 a year—a large sum in 1789. Washington, already wealthy, declined the salary, since he valued his image as a selfless public servant. At the urging of Congress, however, he ultimately accepted the payment, to avoid setting a precedent whereby the presidency would be perceived as limited only to independently wealthy individuals who could serve without any salary.^[86] The president, aware that everything he did set a precedent, attended carefully to the pomp and ceremony of office, making sure that the titles and trappings were suitably republican and never emulated European royal courts. To that end, he preferred the title "Mr. President" to the more majestic names suggested.^[87]
Washington proved an able administrator. An excellent delegator and judge of talent and character, he talked regularly with department heads and listened to their advice before making a final decision.^[88] In handling routine tasks, he was "systematic, orderly, energetic, solicitous of the opinion of others but decisive, intent upon general goals and the consistency of particular actions with them."^[89]
Washington reluctantly served a second term. He refused to run for a third, establishing the customary policy of a maximum of two terms for a president.