1788–89 United States presidential election
Another thing people weren't sure of was who would be the candidate for the vice presidency, which didn't have a real description except being next in line to the presidency and watching over the Senate. The Constitution said that the job would be given to the second place person in the Presidential election. Since Washington was from Virginia, the largest state, many thought electors would choose a vice president from a different state, likely in the north.  In a letter written in August 1788 , U.S. Minister to France Thomas Jefferson wrote that he thought John Adams and John Hancock, both from Massachusetts, would be the top people for vice president. Jefferson recommended John Jay, John Rutledge, and a candidate from Virginia, James Madison, as other possible winners. Adams received 34 votes, one short of a majority (over half). Since the Constitution didn't require a majority in the Electoral College before the creation of the Twelfth Amendment in 1804, Adams was elected.