1792 United States elections explained

Year:1792
Type:Presidential election year
Incumbent President:George Washington (Independent)
Next Congress:3rd
President Candidate1:George Washington
Electoral Vote1:132
President Map Caption:Presidential election results map. Green denotes states won by Washington. Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes cast by each state.
Senate Control:Pro-Administration hold
Senate Seats Contested:10 of 30 seats[1]
Senate Net Change:Pro-Administration +1[2]
House Control:Anti-Administration gain
House Seats Contested:All 105 voting members
House Net Change:Anti-Administration +24
House Map Caption:House of Representatives elections


The 1792 United States elections elected the members of the 3rd United States Congress. Congress was broadly divided between a Pro-Administration faction supporting the policies of George Washington's administration and an Anti-Administration faction opposed to those policies. Due to this, the Federalist Party (generally overlapping with the Pro-Administration faction) and the Democratic-Republican Party (generally overlapping with the Anti-Administration faction) were starting to emerge as the distinct political parties of the First Party System. In this election, the Pro-Administration faction maintained control of the Senate, but lost its majority in the House.

In the presidential election, incumbent President George Washington was re-elected without any major opposition.[3] Washington had considered retirement, but was convinced to seek re-election for the purpose of national unity.[4] Though Washington went unchallenged, Governor George Clinton of New York sought to unseat John Adams as vice president. However, Adams received the second most electoral votes, and so was re-elected to office.[4] Washington remained unaffiliated with any political faction or party throughout his presidency.[5]

In the House, 37 seats were added following the 1790 census. The Anti-Administration faction picked up several seats, narrowly taking the majority from the Pro-Administration faction.[6] However, Frederick Muhlenberg, who leaned closer to the Pro-Administration faction, was elected Speaker of the House.[7]

In the Senate, the Anti-Administration faction picked up one seat, but the Pro-Administration faction maintained a small majority.[8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Not counting special elections.
  2. Congressional seat gain figures only reflect the results of the regularly-scheduled elections, and do not take special elections into account.
  3. Web site: 1792 Presidential Election. The American Presidency Project. 25 June 2014.
  4. Web site: Presidential elections. History.com. History Channel. 3 September 2015.
  5. News: George Washington's views on political parties in America. Jamison. Dennis. December 31, 2014. The Washington Times. February 14, 2017.
  6. Web site: Party Divisions of the House of Representatives. United States House of Representatives. 25 June 2014.
  7. Book: Jenkins. Jeffrey A.. Stewart. Charles Haines. Fighting for the Speakership: The House and the Rise of Party Government. 2013. 57–58. 978-0691156446. 30 June 2014.
  8. Web site: Party Division in the Senate, 1789-Present. United States Senate. 25 June 2014.