1. Article II, section 1, of the U.S. Constitution provides the oath that the president-elect is required to take prior to assuming office. However, that article is silent on the question of oaths for the vice president elect. Article VI orders members of Congress and all executive and judicial officers to take an oath to support the Constitution, but it does not stipulate the time or place for its administration. The “Act to regulate the Time and Manner of administering certain Oaths,” 1 June 1789, directed that the oath required by Article VI of the Constitution be administered to the Senate president, or vice president, by a senator. The law also required all officers “appointed under the authority of the United States” to swear the oath in support of the Constitution prior to taking office, but it did not specify the location where it should be administered (1 Stat. description begins Richard Peters, ed. The Public Statutes at Large of the United States of America, from the Organization of the Government in 1789, to March 3, 1845 . . .. 8 vols. Boston, 1845-67. description ends 23–24). On 9 Feb., only one day after the electoral votes were counted, Congress began to consider the manner in which to notify Vice President–elect Thomas Jefferson of his election (see Journal of the House description begins The Journal of the House of Representatives: George Washington Administration 1789–1797. Edited by Martin P. Claussen. 9 vols. Wilmington, Del., 1977. description ends , 9:173–79; see also U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to GW, this date).

2. On this date, the Senate passed a resolution requesting “the President of the United States … to cause to be transmitted to Thomas Jefferson … Vice-President elect, … notification of his election to that office, and that the President of the Senate do make out and sign a certificate. …” The Senate directed that the above resolution be laid before GW (Journal of the Senate description begins The Journal of the Senate including The Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate: George Washington Administration 1789–1797. Edited by Martin P. Claussen. 9 vols. Wilmington, Del., 1977. description ends , 9:81–84; see also U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to GW, this date). Pickering wrote Jefferson from Philadelphia in a letter of 11 Feb.: “pursuant to the request of the Senate communicated to him yesterday, the President … has directed me to transmit to you the inclosed certificate … of your being elected … Vice-President” (Jefferson Papers description begins Julian P. Boyd et al., eds. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. 41 vols. to date. Princeton, N.J., 1950–. description ends , 29:305–6). In a second letter dated 11 Feb., Pickering notified Jefferson that the certificate enclosed with his first letter was a copy. According to Pickering, Timothy Bloodworth, the son of the U.S. senator of the same name from North Carolina, had been directed to deliver the original certificate to Jefferson (see Jefferson Papers description begins Julian P. Boyd et al., eds. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. 41 vols. to date. Princeton, N.J., 1950–. description ends , 29:306). Jefferson was sworn in as vice president of the United States on 4 March (see Circular to U.S. Senators, 1 March, and n.1 to that document).