Meet the first President of the United States

Here’s a trick question:  Who was the first President of the United States. For most people the answer is obvious: George Washington. It may be obvious but it is in error.  George Washington was not the first President of the United States.  He was the first President of the United States under the United States Constitution but not the first President of the United States. Depending on how you want to define “United States,” below are a list of men who served as “president” before George Washington.

Prior to the convening of the First Continental Congress, two others took place. Their presidents were:

The following men served as the President of the First Continental Congress:

  • Peyton Randolph (September 5, 1774 – October 21, 1774) and
  • Henry Middleton (October 22, 1774 – October 26, 1774)

The following men served as the President of the Second Continental Congress:

  • Peyton Randolph (May 10, 1775 – May 23, 1775)
  • John Hancock (May 24, 1775 – October 31, 1777)
  • Henry Laurens (November 1, 1777 – December 9, 1778)
  • John Jay (December 10, 1778 – September 27, 1779)
  • Samuel Huntington (September 28, 1779 – March 1, 1781)

Under the Articles of Confederation, the following men served as President of the United States in Congress Assembled:

  • Samuel Huntington (March 1, 1781 – July 9, 1781)
  • Thomas McKean (July 10, 1781 – November 4, 1781)
  • John Hanson (November 5, 1781 – November 3, 1782)
  • Elias Boudinot (November 4, 1782 – November 2, 1783)
  • Thomas Mifflin (November 3, 1783 – October 31, 1784)
  • Richard Henry Lee (November 30, 1784 – November 6, 1785)
  • John Hancock (November 23, 1785 – June 5, 1786) Due to Hancock’s failing health the following two people acted as president in his stead:
    • David Ramsay (November 23, 1785 – May 12, 1786)
    • Nathaniel Gorham (May 15, 1786 – June 5, 1786)
  • Nathaniel Gorham (June 6, 1786 – November 5, 1786)
  • Arthur St. Clair (February 2, 1787 – November 4, 1787)
  • Cyrus Griffin (January 22, 1788 – March 4, 1789)

Historians generally credit John Hanson with being the first President of the United States because the first government of the United States was the Article of Confederation. The Articles were proposed on June 11, 1776 but not approved until March 1, 1781. The Articles established the office of President and John Hanson was elected unanimously by a Congress that included George Washington. Hanson served for one year, the term of office under the Articles, and in those 365 days he quelled a mutiny in an army that had not been paid, ordered all foreign troops off American soil, created the Great Seal of the United States we still use today, established the first Treasury Department and first State Department. He also declared the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day.

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