He wanted the president to be addressed as “His Highness.”

After George Washington's 1789 inauguration, Congress spent weeks debating how to address him. Adams, who served as vice president and presided over the Senate, believed that the position needed a lofty title to convey authority comparable to that of European regal courts. Washington should be addressed as "His Majesty the President" or "His Highness, the President of the United States of America, and Protector of the Same," he mocked, claiming that fire departments and cricket clubs only had "presidents."

John Adams wanted the nation's top leader called "His Most Benign Highness" while Benjamin Franklin favored "His Mightiness." The Senate, in all its wisdom, favored "His Highness, the President of the United States of America and Protector of the Rights of the Same" (the Senate always has been very long-winded). The House proposal of a simple "President" prevailed, saving us all from the stirring notes of "Hail to His Highness, the President of the United States of America and Protector of the Rights of the Same." Congress decided that Washington's title should be "The President of the United States" because many Americans who had recently overthrown a king found the titles to be overly regal. Opponents of the plump Adams seized on his titular suggestions to mock him as “His Rotundity.”