What was George Washington’s job description as President of the United States?

by TemporalTickTock

What would his daily schedule consist of? Did the general population have any understanding of what the role of the president was?

uncovered-history

This is a really fun question, so thank you for asking it!

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Washington's job as president is pretty unique because, until he assumed office on April 30, 1789, no one had ever held a position like this before. Even with the prior federal government, operating under the Articles of Confederation, there was no chief executive, so Washington was treading where no person had gone before.

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Looking at his position from above, Washington was expected to set up the office and establish precedents for future presidents to follow. The historians at Washington's Mountain Vernon described his first term by saying:

His first term (1789-1793) was occupied primarily with organizing the executive branch of the new government and establishing administrative procedures that would make it possible for the government to operate with the energy and efficiency he believed were essential to the republic's future.

Washington's time as president was spent doing a variety of activities in a number of places since America's capital was in New York City and Philadelphia for his presidency, however his daily schedule tended to be similar regardless of location.

George Washington tended to wake up early, usually around 4AM and would be shaved and dressed by his enslaved valet, Billy Lee. He usually worked privately in his office, reading letters or replying to them until breakfast around 7AM. This would be different if he was at his home at Mount Vernon, where he would circle his 8,000 acre estate on horseback before breakfast. Washington would spend his day reading newspapers, magazines, or speaking with guests or politicians, or continuing to write letters or write in his journal. He wrote over 25,000 letters during the course of his life and tens of thousands of pages worth of journal entries or essays. He would begin to prepare for dinner around 2PM, including changing his attire and powdering his hair. Dinner was usually served around 3PM with a light supper and tea around 7PM. He would then retire formally by 9PM.

During this period, he would often change up his schedule by traveling to meet with key politicians, especially during moments of contention. He often hosted cabinet meetings with his advisors and they often ate dinner together.

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Please let me know if you have any follow ups!

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