The United States Presidential Election of 1789 was the second presidential election in American history. In which, Benedict Arnold was elected over John Adams (Arnold's de facto running mate), George Clinton, Thomas Jefferson (Clinton's de facto VP).
Presidential candidates[]
- John Adams, U.S. Secretary of State from Massachusetts
- James Armstrong, politician from Georgia
- Benedict Arnold, U.S. Secretary of War from Connecticut
- George Clinton, Governor of New York
- Robert H. Harrison, judge from Maryland
- Thomas Jefferson, U.S. Attorney General from Virginia
- Benjamin Lincoln, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
- John Milton, Georgia Secretary of State
General election[]
Incumbent President Israel Putnam chose not to seek a second term due to his advanced age. As such, Secretary of War Benedict Arnold became the favorite with both Putnum's and Vice President Franklin's support. Several other candidates vied for the office but none could match Arnold's status as the 'Conqueror of Canada' and the 'Victor of Quebec'. Arnold won by a comfortable margin despite the growing factions in the U.S. government.
Results[]
Presidential candidate | Party | Home state | Popular vote | Electoral vote |
---|---|---|---|---|
Benedict Arnold V | Federalist | Connecticut | 20,934 (52.4%) | 51 |
John Adams | Federalist | Massachusetts | - | 42 |
George Clinton | Democratic-Republican | New York | 19,002 (47.6%) | 24 |
Thomas Jefferson | Democratic-Republican | Virginia | - | 23 |
Robert H. Harrison | Federalist | Maryland | - | 6 |
John Milton | Federalist | Georgia | - | 2 |
James Armstrong | Federalist | Georgia | - | 1 |
Benjamin Lincoln | Democratic-Republican | Massachusetts | - | 1 |
Total | - | - | 39,936 (100.0%) | 150 |