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1739–1812 • Governor of New York, Vice President

George Clinton (Cato)

Writing as “Cato”

George Clinton served as Governor of New York for 21 years and later as Vice President under both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Writing as "Cato," he produced seven essays opposing the Constitution, focusing on the dangers of executive power and the erosion of state sovereignty. Despite losing the ratification battle, he continued to advocate for strict constitutional limits while serving within the system he had opposed.

Key Contributions

01

Authored the Cato essays — seven arguments against excessive executive power

02

Served as Governor of New York for 21 consecutive years, proving that state governance works

03

Led the Anti-Federalist opposition in the critical New York ratification debate

04

Served as Vice President, demonstrating that Anti-Federalists could work within the system while reforming it

05

Warned specifically about the dangers of a four-year presidential term with unlimited reelection

Key Writings

1787-1788

Cato Letters

Seven essays focused on executive power, warning that the presidency would evolve into an elected monarchy.

Speculative Essay

What Would Cato Say About the Modern Anti-Federalist Party?

Cato warned that the presidency would evolve into an elected monarchy. He wrote that a president with four-year terms, command of the military, and the power of the veto would accumulate power until the office was indistinguishable from a king. He was exactly right. Modern presidents govern by executive order, command the largest military in history, and wield veto power to override the will of Congress.

Clinton's own career demonstrates the Anti-Federalist path forward. He opposed the Constitution, lost the ratification fight, and then served within the system while continuing to advocate for reform. The modern Anti-Federalist Party operates on the same principle — work within the existing system while building the infrastructure for structural change.

Cato would note with grim satisfaction that every expansion of presidential power he predicted has come true. Executive orders now substitute for legislation. The president deploys military force without Congressional authorization. The federal bureaucracy answers to the executive, not to the people. The elected monarchy Cato feared is the system we live under.

The modern Anti-Federalist Party's focus on local governance would appeal to Clinton deeply. As governor of New York for 21 years, he demonstrated that state and local governance could be effective, responsive, and accountable — everything the federal government is not. His career is proof of concept for the decentralized model.

If Cato were writing today, his essays would be titled "On the Imperial Presidency" — a systematic documentation of how the office has absorbed powers the Constitution never granted. His solution would be the same as ours: strip the presidency back to its constitutional limits and return power to the communities that can actually exercise it responsibly.