Episode 040: Kathleen Bartoloni-Tuazon, For Fear of an Elective King

by Liz CovartJuly 28, 2015

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Today we address the President of the United States as “Mr. President.” But did you know that the proper title for the office was almost “His Highness the President?”

In this episode, Kathleen Bartoloni-Tuazon, author of For Fear of an Elective King: George Washington and the Presidential Title Controversy of 1789, leads us on an exploration of the presidential title controversy of 1789, the first controversy to wrack the United States Congress.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Each episode features a conversation with an historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Kathleen Bartoloni-Tuazon, a visiting scholar at the First Federal Congress Project and author of For Fear of an Elective King: George Washington and the Presidential Title Controversy of 1789, leads us on an exploration of the first congressional controversy in United States history: the presidential title controversy of 1789.

During our investigation, Kata reveals the origins of the controversy; the different titles senators, congressmen, and ordinary citizens proposed and favored for their new president; And, the ways specific individuals involved in the controversy helped shape precedents for the offices of president and vice-president that we still use today.

What You’ll Discover

How Kata became interested in George Washington and the presidential title controversy of 1789
The First Federal Congress Project
The origins of the presidential title controversy of 1789
Titles used to address George Washington pre-presidency
How early Americans thought about the new office of president
Title proposals for President Washington
Early Americans’ obsession with titles
Early American uses of “mister” and “esquire”
Congressional phase of the presidential title controversy
Why the Senate wanted a grand title for the President
Why the House of Representatives preferred a simple title
The roles John Adams and Richard Henry Lee played in the presidential title controversy
Why John Adams thought the president needed a monarchical title to strengthen the office
What Americans outside of Congress thought about the presidential title controversy
Where George Washington stood on presidential titles
The role George Washington and James Madison's relationship played in the controversy
The outcome of the presidential title controversy of 1789
How the simple title “President” helped Americans accept the new government of the Constitution
Consequences of the controversy for men who had approved of regal titles
How the presidential title controversy affected the working relationship of George Washington and John Adams, the first president and vice-president
How the men who have held the presidency and vice presidency have shaped those offices

Washington's_Inauguration — George Washington's inauguration as the first President of the United States, April 30, 1789.

Links to People, Places, and Publications

Time Warp Question

In your opinion what might have happened if George Washington had wanted a regal title? Do you think congress and the American people would have accepted it? How would the agreement between John Adams and Washington have changed the working relationship between president and vice president?