In the year 1789, a new federal government was established and started to operate under the terms of the United States Constitution. George Washington was unanimously elected as the first president of the United States by the Electoral College. He was inaugurated on April 30, 1789. Buttons were made in celebration of George Washington and his inauguration.
There are many different design variations of the George Washington Inaugural buttons. To date, I have been fortunate to have found two GW buttons in my ventures metal detecting. The first one I dug has the eagle with heraldic estoile design. The eagle has spread wings and a shield on it’s chest. The estoile or star with six wavy points or rays is positioned above the eagle’s head. The example I found has 49 border indents surrounding it’s outer edge. The second GW button I found has the initials GW at it’s center and the phrase long “Long Live the President” on it. Robert Livingston proclaimed “Long Live the President” after administering the oath of office to George Washington at his first inauguration. The saying “Long Live the President” was included on multiple varieties of GW inaugural buttons.
It is generally accepted that many of these buttons were made around the time of George Washington’s first inauguration in 1789. There is little evidence to indicate the exact dates of manufacturing, the place of origin, or the names of the makers. It’s not clear if any inaugural buttons were made expressly for Washington’s second inauguration.
I want to share with you some interesting facts I have learned over the years about George Washington’s election and his presidency. Washington is the only president to have ever been unanimously elected by the Electoral College. In both the election of 1789 and 1792 Washington received every single vote. George Washington is also the only president to have been inaugurated in two different cities. His first inauguration took place in New York City and his second was in Philadelphia. George Washington is the only US president to have never lived in the White House. Washington is also the only president to ever have had a state named after him.
He played a vital role in the creation of our nation. He accomplished a great deal during his time as President and will forever be remembered. I feel honored to have found two buttons from such a memorable era in time and treasure them both greatly.
