In the spring of 1789, as the newly formed United States prepared to inaugurate its first president, a heated debate erupted in the nation’s capital over something seemingly simple: what to call the chief executive. Surprisingly, one of the loudest voices pushing for a grand, almost monarchical title belonged to John Adams, the country’s first Vice President. His preferred proposal—”His Highness, the President of the United States of America, and Protector of Their Liberties”—drew ridicule from colleagues and nearly derailed his political reputation.
The Setting: A New Republic Searching for Identity
When George Washington was elected as the first President of the United States, the Constitution offered little guidance on ceremonial matters. Everything—from how the president should be addressed to how he should interact with Congress—had to be worked out in real time. The Senate, led at that time by Vice President John Adams in his role as presiding officer, took up the question of presidential titles with remarkable seriousness in April and May of 1789.
Adams was convinced that a plain address like “President” or “Mr. President” lacked the gravitas necessary to command respect—both from citizens at home and from the royal courts of Europe. Having served as a diplomat in France, the Netherlands, and Britain, he had seen firsthand how European heads of state surrounded themselves with elaborate titles and ceremony. To Adams, the fledgling American republic needed comparable dignity to be taken seriously on the world stage.
Adams’s Proposal: “His Highness”
A Senate committee, influenced by Adams, recommended the title “His Highness, the President of the United States of America, and Protector of Their Liberties.” Adams also floated variants such as “His Most Benign Highness” and “His Elective Majesty.” To his mind, these titles captured the unique character of an elected yet powerful head of state, and he believed that grand language would lend authority to the new office and stability to the young government.
The Backlash: Ridicule and the Nickname “His Rotundity”
Adams’s push for elaborate titles did not land well. Many in Congress—particularly in the House of Representatives, led by James Madison—viewed such titles as monarchical affectations, completely at odds with republican ideals the United States had just fought a revolution to establish. Thomas Jefferson famously called the whole discussion “the most superlatively ridiculous thing I ever heard of,” and Benjamin Franklin reportedly dismissed it as absurd.
Worse for Adams personally, senators began mocking him with a nickname that stung for years: “His Rotundity,” a jab at both his short, stout frame and his grandiose proposal. Senator Ralph Izard of South Carolina is often credited with coining the nickname. The episode seriously damaged Adams’s reputation and reinforced suspicions among Jeffersonian Republicans that he harbored monarchical sympathies—a perception that dogged him throughout his later presidency.
Washington’s Preference and the Final Decision
George Washington himself was reportedly uncomfortable with the idea of grand titles, preferring restraint consistent with republican principles. The House of Representatives rejected the Senate’s recommendation, and after several weeks of debate, the simple address “Mr. President” became the accepted form. This decision set an enduring precedent: American presidents would be addressed with dignity but without royal flourish, a choice that has helped shape the office’s democratic character ever since.
Why It Still Matters
The “titles debate” of 1789 may sound like a trivial squabble over words, but it was actually a pivotal early test of American identity. Would the United States drift toward the pomp of European monarchies, or would it commit to a plainer, citizen-centered style of governance? By rejecting Adams’s elaborate proposal in favor of a simple “Mr. President,” Congress made an unmistakable statement about the values of the young republic. So, the correct answer to the trivia question “John Adams controversially wanted the President to have what title?” is: His Highness.
References and Further Reading
Trivia Today — Question of the Day: https://www.triviatoday.com/
U.S. Senate Historical Office — “Titles for the President”: https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Titles_for_the_President.htm
Encyclopaedia Britannica — John Adams: https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Adams-president-of-United-States
Mount Vernon — “Titles for the President”: https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/titles-for-the-president/
National Archives — Founders Online (correspondence of John Adams and contemporaries): https://founders.archives.gov/
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