Was there a first president other than George Washington?

Answer 1

Technically, if you consider the president someone who presides over all the united states, there was no president before GW. However, many historians have discussed the fact that before the Constitution (and President GW), there were men who were leaders of the Continental Congress. Since they were the leaders of the government (the congress) some have called them presidents, but they had no power over the states at the time, since the Articles of Confederation limited the power of the federal government. John Hanson was the first president of "United States in Congress Assembled" and it can be argued that he was the first president. But it is stretching the term president somewhat because all he really had power over was the congress.

Answer 2

A.

In order to be "president" there has to be a body to govern. The Continental Congress met in 1774 and again in 1775 to organize for a war of independence and was comprised of delegates from the original thirteen colonies (CT, DE, PA, NY, NH, NJ, MA, MD, RI, VA, NC, SC, GA) To my knowledge, no delegates claimed to be president at any time. The Revolutionary War was started in 1775 and a year into it, Thomas Jefferson (mostly) wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Continental Congress passed it. I believe this Continental Congress "ruled" the colonists during the war and until the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1781 and then the Articles of Confederation were the "law" until the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1789. Interestingly, eleven of the 13 colonies joined the union before the U.S. Constitution was accepted. At the Constitutional Convention (I think Second) where the U.S. Constitution was ratified, George Washington became the first president.

B. Research Articles of Confederation and the Continental Congress. I still think A. above is a technical answer, however, I have since learned that some of the delegates, such as John Hancock, were called president. If I look this information up, I will be violating wikianswers.com rules.

I hope a real historian will give you a precise answer from their memories!

actaully if you want to know the truth there is a secret scociety names the illumintatie well just search it up and tell me wat you think everything is realy and i know because i am a former member.

Answer 3

No, George Washington was the first President of the United States of America.

Another view

"Who was the first president?" Most people will tell you "George Washington." Guess what? Technically they would be wrong. George Washington was inaugurated on April 30, 1789. The United States actually had a functioning government starting on September 05,1774 and was a confederated nation as of July 4, 1776. During those years, Congress, (first the Continental Congress and then later the Confederation Congress ) was moderated by an elected president. As the chief executive officer of the government of the United States, the president was recognized as the head of state. George was actually the fifteenth in a long line of distinguished presidents and he led the seventeenth administration. Washington was however the first president under the current constitution. Who was the first? When the delegates gathered in Philadelphia for the very first Continental Congress, they elected the former King's Attorney of Virginia Mr. Peyton Randolph. After his first term came Henry Middleton who stepped in to fill Randolph's place while he was ill. The third President was John Hancock followed by Henry Laurens, John Jay, Samuel Huntington, Thomas McKean, John Hanson, Elias Boudinot, Thomas Mifflin, Richard Henry Lee, Nathan Gorham, Arthur St Clair, Cyrus Griffin and then George Washington.

Answer 4

Yes. There was a President before George Washington. In fact, the United States had 7 presidents before George Washington. Before George Washington, the United States was governed by The Articles of Confederation. The government under The Articles of Confederation had a President. The President of the government under the Articles of Confederation served a President until George Washington was sworn in as President. George Washington was the first President under the current constitution.

Answer 5

no. the electoral college chose Washington to be the head of the new government that was formed by the constitution.