The first president vs. the first president

Admittedly, I am a George Washington fan. The book 1776 is among my favorites of all time, I believe Washington might have been our greatest president, and I even have a GW bobblehead on my Christmas Wish List.

He was our first president elected under the Constitution, but prior to that, America existed for eight years before that document was ratified. This almost seems like a forgotten era in history.

Prior to Washington’s election, there was a “president of the United States in Congress assembled.” This was an important position, but did not include the powers enacted starting in 1789. Seven men served one-year terms.

John Hanson was the first person to serve in the position, from 1781 to 1782. The job was a headache for Hanson, although he was given a house and servants — he found it tedious and wanted to resign, but stuck it out for the good of the country.

He was no slacker and based on the way things get done today, a lot got done under his leadership: the Treasury Department was established, as was the first Foreign Affairs office, and the first Secretary of War. The Great Seal of the United States was adapted, and Thanksgiving was set as the fourth Thursday in November. All foreign troops were removed from U.S. soil.

The other men to serve in the position were:

Elias Boudinot (1740-1821)
Thomas Mifflin (1744-1800)
Richard Henry Lee (1732-1794)
John Hancock (1737-1793)
Nathaniel Gorham (1738-1796)
Arthur St. Clair (1737-1818)
Cyrus Griffin (1748-1810)

Sources:

The Greatest Stories Never Told by Rick Beyer

ConstitutionFacts.com