Name: NNK250 Signature Speaker Series: George Washington and the Presidential Title Controversy of 1789
Start: 2026-06-14T14:00:00-04:00
Location: George Washington Birthplace National Monument

NNK250 Signature Speaker Series: George Washington and the Presidential Title Controversy of 1789

Join Dr. Kathleen Bartoloni-Tuazon for an engaging exploration of one of the earliest and most revealing debates in American history—the 1789 controversy over the president’s title. Drawing from her book For Fear of an Elective King, she will uncover why Congress and the public fiercely argued over whether George Washington should be addressed as “His Highness” or simply “President.” Her talk will highlight how this seemingly ceremonial question exposed deep anxieties about power and the fragility of the new republic. Attendees will learn how Washington’s own choices shaped the presidency, as well as reinforced certain ideals.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Kathleen Bartoloni-Tuazon is an expert on the early presidency and is a thought leader in her field.
She received her doctorate from George Washington University and found a welcome intellectual environment at the First Federal Congress Project (FFCP) in Washington D.C. where she was Visiting Scholar, contributing to a project to document of all material related to America’s first Congress under the new Constitution, which is now a part of the Washington National Library at Mount Vernon in Virginia.
She has been interviewed by National Public Radio and has had opinion pieces in The Economist and The Boston Globe. She has appeared several times on C-SPAN and lectures on the presidency, the evolution of executive power, and the Washington administration. Her book, For Fear of an Elective King, has been recommended by sources as varied as Vanity Fair, Presidential Studies Quarterly, The Journal of the Early Republic and The American Historical Review. She is also author of
She is the author of For Fear of an Elective King: George Washington and the Presidential Title Controversy of 1789, a richly researched account of how a seemingly small question—what to call the president—became a defining moment for our country and executive legitimacy.