[350] Washington signed the Naval Act of 1794 and commissioned the first six federal frigates to combat Barbary pirates.[351]
In January 1795, Hamilton, who desired more income for his family, resigned from office and was replaced by Washington appointment Oliver Wolcott Jr. Washington and Hamilton remained friends. However, Washington's relationship with his Secretary of War Henry Knox deteriorated. Knox resigned from office due to a rumor that he profited from contracts for the construction of U.S. frigates.[352]
In the final months of his presidency, Washington was assailed by his political foes and a partisan press who accused him of being ambitious and greedy, while he argued that he had taken no salary during the war and had risked his life in battle. He regarded the press as a disuniting, "diabolical" force of falsehoods, sentiments that he expressed in his Farewell Address.[353] At the end of his second term, Washington retired for personal and political reasons, dismayed with personal attacks, and to ensure that a truly contested presidential election could be held. He did not feel bound to a two-term limit, but his retirement set a significant precedent. 