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Welcome to the FedSoc Films Podcast. I'm Matt Wood, Director of FedSoc Films. In February of
1789, George Washington was unanimously elected the first President of the United States, with all
69 electoral votes. And along with many questions, big and small around the office of the presidency,
was what to call the president. His Highness? His Excellency? This was the first time the
people of a nation had elected a president, but what to call him remained up for debate.
We interviewed three experts on George Washington for our film, American Cincinnatus,
which explores the parallels between George Washington and the Roman statesman, Cincinnatus,
who, like Washington, was a successful general and politician who gave up power and returned to
life as a citizen. While this film talks about many precedents that Washington set as first
president, we had to cut the story of what to call him in order to save time.
But because we loved that story so much, we saved it from the cutting room floor
and will present it here on the first Cutting Room Floor edition of the FedSoc Films Podcast.
This episode features Judge Andrew Oldham. My name is Andrew Oldham. Um, and I am a judge
on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. My chambers are in Austin, Texas.
Doctor Matthew Spalding. I am Matthew Spalding, and I am affiliated
with Hillsdale College. Uh, I am the Dean of the Van Andel School of Government at the Washington,
D.C., campus. I'm also the Kirby Professor of Constitutional Government, which means you have
many, (laughs) many titles to choose from. And Doctor Jeffry Morrison.
I'm Dr. Jeffry Morrison. I'm a professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport
University at Newport News, Virginia. And I'm also the Academic Director of the Federal GOvernment's
James Madison Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia. We hope you enjoy it.
The Constitution obviously doesn't provide a title,
um, for the President. It- it does... it- it talks about the executive power,
it talks about the President. Um, it has an independent provision that prohibits titles
of nobility. But this was an open question, like so many things, um, were shortly before,
um, Washington's inauguration. So about a week, um, before, uh, his inauguration in April, um,
the Senate appointed a committee, uh, to study this question and to come up with proposals.
And there's a debate about that, and its debate in congress.
And John Adams, prominent among them but also Richard Henry Lee, wanted to use a more exalted
title appropriate for a European head of state. Um, Adams wanted to call him His Highness. Uh,
during the war, Washington is often referred to His Excellency.
There's kind of a humorous anecdote about John Adams who was sometimes attempted toward
too much pomp and circumstance and was, in fact, ridiculed for it during his own one
term as president. Uh, Adams, evidently... I think have the- the nomenclature right here.
Adams suggested, why don't we call him His High Mightiness, the President of the United States,
and Protector of their Liberties. A very wordy and- and highfalutin title.
Those are kind of European terms we associate with monarchical government, but not appropriate
for a republican government. Ben Franklin said this is absurd to- to use such terminology.
I think there were a lot of people who thought that setting that sort of example, which, of
course, was very common at the time. I mean, in- in- in the 1780s, um, the world was dominated by-
by kings and queens and monarchies, and nobility, and- and aristocratic regimes across the world,
and so it wasn't weird to- to perhaps describe, um, uh,
the president as His Excellency or His Highness or any of these things.
But it wasn't fitting with both what Washington wanted and with the new American Republic and
the experiment, um, in a republican form of government, uh, that they were, that, uh,
that the founders were attempting to execute. And that's why when the House countered, um, with
simply President of the United States, which is obviously what Washington accepted.
That suited Washington better. He was often called His Excellency. In fact, there's a very good book
with that title, a biography of Washington. And he didn't, uh, he didn't eschew that, he didn't say,
"Don't call me that." But that's about as- as high as he would allow things to go, and he was very
comfortable with President of the United States. Washington himself understood the, uh, impropriety
and preferred to be called, uh, Mr. President. Uh, and part of that is- is this transition, it
kind of... in the- in the story, kind of shows the transition between understanding the role of the
executive as a, um, uh, a more- more monarchical, uh, figure to a... to a republicanizing, if you
will, the executive within the constitutional structure. Uh, and- and for Washington, the- the
term... They use the President, um, it can only be understood within the constitutional context.
Uh, he is a constitutional officer, which say he's beholden to and- and serves the constitution,
which in turn means he serves the people. Uh, so his... Uh, his sense of honor is not to be called,
you know, Your Excellency or Your Highness, but- but the honorable thing is actually to be called
Mr. President, because you're the President of a people under a constitutional government.
This was our first Cutting Room Floor Edition of the FedSoc Films Podcast.
Today's episode came from a scene that we cut from our film, American Cincinnatus,
and featured Judge Andrew Oldham of the Fifth Circuit, Dr. Matthew Spalding, the Vice President
of Washington Operations at Hillsdale College, and Dr. Jeffrey Morrison, Professor of American
Studies at Christopher Newport University. I hope you enjoyed this. And if you want to
learn more about George Washington's role as first president, check out our film,
American Cincinnatus, on YouTube or at FedSoc.org. That's F-E-D-S-O-C.org. Thanks for listening,
and don't forget to subscribe for more episodes of the FedSoc Films Podcast, and please leave
us a review and let us know what you think. As always, the Federal Society doesn't take any
positions on the issues discussed. That's a wrap. This has been a FedSoc Audio Production.