You are absolutely correct on 1. Even though he was considered a Federalist (and incorrectly listed as one in some books), he never joined any party. In fact, he was unhappy when he left office because of the division of America based on political parties. Hot issues the parties were divided over in those days (the Federalists and the Democratic-Republican party, often called Anti-Federalists) included who to side with in a war involving France and Britain and how many rights states could have.