The First Executive Orders

Today, when a president issues an executive order, it is an official act that is published in the Federal Register. However, during the first few decades of the nation's history, executive orders were quite informal and were not even known by any specific name. It wasn't until Lincoln became president that executive orders were issued numbers.

As a result, it is unknown exactly how many executive orders have been issued by the various occupants of the Oval Office. However, we do know that George Washington began the tradition of issuing executive orders in 1793, when he issued a proclamation concerning American neutrality in a war between France and Britain. According to political scientists Gary King and Lyn Ragsdale, Washington issued eight such orders during his eight years in office.

The first executive orders tended to be of minor importance. For example, one early executive order authorized the building of a lighthouse. In addition, executive orders were very informal. Sometimes, the president would merely write "I approve" on a proposal brought to him by a cabinet member.

As you will see, the use of executive orders has grown in both numbers and importance over time.