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This discussion follows on the heels of the that begun in Demosthenes' What kind of Government is Best for the US? Thread, as a preliminary to a full TL. Brief recap: Washington's early death results in frequently divided elections for President. The House ends up customarily picking the President. This greatly reduced the power of the President and increases that of the House, setting the stage for an American government that works very differently than OTL, but has almost exactly the same Constitutional text.

Here I'll take some suggestions on 1) when exactly the POD should be and 2) the general judgment of the forum regarding potential presidents/leading politicians in the first years of TTL fledging Republic.

1) My original idea was that Washington dies after the Constitutional Convention but before the election of 1788. We have the same constitution, the same ratification debates, and the President has all of his OTL powers (in 1788). Presumably, their is the same general understanding that the First Congress will issue some kind of Bill of Rights. Alternatively, Washington could die before taking office/during the election, such that John Adams becomes the first President.

2) If Washington dies before the election, and electors can cast their votes for someone else, I can't get a good sense of how votes would fall between Adams and Jefferson. Adams had much more diplomatic experience, but Jefferson would have had Virginia's electoral votes.

My sense is that the first three Presidents would include Adams, Jefferson, and either George Clinton or Thomas Pickney. The first three Speakers are probably Madison, Hamilton, and Adams.

I'm leaning towards Washington dying before the election and Adams as the first President. My next favorite, however, is Washington dying very soon after taking office; it has to be quick to prevent the Presidency from becoming the focus of the political wrangling of Washington's Cabinet.

Thoughts?
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