The precedent set by President George Washington during his first term in office was B. appointing a cabinet. The first sitting president to visit a foreign country was Woodrow Wilson who visited Europe after World War I to promote his League of Nations. President Washington actually avoided emphasizing a military aspect of the presidency while in office, preferring to be called Mister President rather than anything more formal. Additionally, Washington did not set a precedent of serving for life, but rather he set the precedent of serving only two terms, a practice that would remain until FDR was elected four times.