The Federalist Party is a defunct national political party of the United States of America, and often considered the first in American history. From 1792 until 1829, the party elected two presidents, John Adams and Rufus King, though George Washington, the first president of the US shared many of the views of the Federalists but remained an Independent while in office. The Federalists were one of the two major parties of the era, the other being the Democratic-Republican, and had dominated the North-East and New England for almost its entire existence. A strong force in the House of Representatives due to its support in the North, it rarely got more than a third of the Senate due to its weak grip in the Southern States.