WI: George Washington runs for a third term as President?

In this scenario, George Washington runs for a third term, but makes it clear when he makes the announcement that it will be his last and that he will step down in 1801. What changes might happen as a result of this decision?

Some things to consider:

  • Washington's presidency now includes the XYZ Affair, the resulting Quasi-War, the Barbary War, and Napoleon's rise to power.
  • Washington died relatively young IOTL at 67, and if the same happens here, we have no precedent of a sitting president yielding power (only stating an intent to do so). However, he may have several more years left if he doesn't fall ill (which was the scenario I had in mind).
  • An extra term may give Washington more time and political capital than he had OTL to carry out his mandates regarding international neutrality and preventing party systems (he may become more strident on the latter as he sees the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans beginning to coalesce).
 
I had the impression that Washington didn't really want to run a for a second term. A one term Washington presidency is probably more likely than a third term one.

The lack of precedence of a President voluntarily retiring would be a huge, probably the biggest effect.

A minor effect would be an earlier instance of a Vice President replacing a President. The original framers were vague on this like in many other things, and there was confusion when it happened IOTL in 1841. If it had happened when most of the attendees of the 1787 convention were still alive, you probably would have seen a clarifying/ bug fixing amendment like the 11th or the 12th Amendments. As it happened, the 25th Amendment wound up doing this, but almost two centuries later and it pretty much codified what had informally developed.

But Washington's death in 1798 could be butterflied away if he was living in a town house in Philadelphia, instead of actively trying to manage his plantation.
 
1. With the precedent established, most presidents run for three consecutive terms before resigning .
2.Isolationism and neutrality become firmly enshrined American principles for the time being, no participation in any of the wars outlined.
3 Washington probably doesn't die the same time he did IOTL, he died of a contagious preventable diesease which he caught while on his plantation.
 
I had the impression that Washington didn't really want to run a for a second term. A one term Washington presidency is probably more likely than a third term one.

The lack of precedence of a President voluntarily retiring would be a huge, probably the biggest effect.

A minor effect would be an earlier instance of a Vice President replacing a President. The original framers were vague on this like in many other things, and there was confusion when it happened IOTL in 1841. If it had happened when most of the attendees of the 1787 convention were still alive, you probably would have seen a clarifying/ bug fixing amendment like the 11th or the 12th Amendments. As it happened, the 25th Amendment wound up doing this, but almost two centuries later and it pretty much codified what had informally developed.

But Washington's death in 1798 could be butterflied away if he was living in a town house in Philadelphia, instead of actively trying to manage his plantation.
I think the "dies in office" and "survives to step down" outcomes are both equally interesting, but the second one seems less likely to screw the US down the line. And it seems more plausible anyway, since as you say, he's far less likely to get pneumonia if he's occupied with affairs of government than if he's riding around Mount Vernon in winter.
 
I would think you would have to have America under some form of severe crisis to get Washington to stay on. Either from war or some other crisis (famine, plague, revolt, etc.) could convince him to stay on out of a sense of duty to the country. Just having him stay on for a third term "because" doesn't much sound like the man, from what I've read he didn't much enjoy being President.
 
I would think you would have to have America under some form of severe crisis to get Washington to stay on. Either from war or some other crisis (famine, plague, revolt, etc.) could convince him to stay on out of a sense of duty to the country. Just having him stay on for a third term "because" doesn't much sound like the man, from what I've read he didn't much enjoy being President.
Perhaps a later, stronger Whiskey Rebellion that doesn't disperse the moment he shows up? I'll admit that I didn't really know much about Washington's attitudes toward the Presidency when I was considering this POD.
 
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