Who started the federalist party?

Its roots are in the debates over ratification of the Constitution in 1787-1789. The people who supported ratification organized and aided each other in securing passage. Once the Constitution was ratified they still held similar views and had similar interests so they naturally continued to work together to further their common goals.

Federalist PartyThe Federalist Party did not begin as a political party. The Federalists were those Americans who supported the ratification of the new Constitution of the United States. Those who were against ratification called themselves Anti-Federalists. By the end of Washington's second term, two political parties had developed. Those who supported a strong central government called themselves Federalists, as the Constitution had created a "federal" system of government. The Democratic-Republicans believed that the states should have more power than the national government. Alexander Hamilton and John Adams were leaders of the Federalist Party. With the election of Jefferson, a leader of the Democratic-Republicans, in 1800, the Federalists lost most of their power and faded from the American political scene.