11. Some of the framers argued for an additional constraint on the President; they wanted an Executive Council in addition to Congress and the Supreme Court. The idea had a precedent: most ex-colonial states used such councils to both advise and bind their executives. For example, in 1784, New Hampshire set up an executive office that included a “president” and a small executive council, each with veto power over each other. New Hampshire is now the only state that has retained this structure. The application of the executive council idea to the federal Executive Branch was rejected due to a lack of consensus concerning the council’s make-up and the extent of its’ authority.
Image: William H. Harrison, by Albert S. Southworth.
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