George Washington’s Precedents

Abstract

As the founding president of a new republic, which he called an “experiment” in government, George Washington was keenly aware of the importance of “precedents” in shaping “institutions.” Following the recommendation of Herbert Simon (1947) who believed that administrative theory should be based on identifying decision premises, this study identifies premises, stated as propositions, which guided Washington in what he called his “public administration” for a new nation. These propositions comprise a coherent theoretical framework, based on Enlightenment thinking and values, for studying and practicing public administration.

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