Was George Really America’s First President?

As most of us were taught in our earliest history classes, George Washington was the first elected President of the United States. The voting took place in December 1788 and January 1789. Turnout was low, with fewer than ten percent of voters casting a ballot. It took two months to tabulate the vote, and Washington, the hand-picked choice of the Continental Congress for the position, was inaugurated on April 30, 1789.

However, the new country had actually begun self-governance well before the British surrender in 1781 and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. Who ran the country before, during, and after the war before Washington took office? Who was the first person to be in charge and hold the Presidency or a similar office?

In 1774, the first Continental Congress was assembled. With fifty-six delegates representing all of the future thirteen states except Georgia, the newly elected members met in Philadelphia to debate independence and deal with issues they faced with the crown. Those selected to Congress were Founding Fathers Washington, John Jay, Samuel Chase, Roger Sherman, Patrick Henry, John Adams, and Samuel Adams.

One of their first acts of business was to elect a President. That man was Virginia plantation owner and lawyer Peyton Randolph. He had previously served the Commonwealth of Virginia when elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses. Peyton was the President over the only body that served the interests of the then colonies, so this effectively made him the future country’s first President.

The primary outcome of the first Congress was a boycott of British goods. Peyton only served in his role as President for forty-seven days as he fell ill and returned to his Virginia home. South Carolina’s Henry Middleton succeeded him.

The Second Continental Congress convened in May 1775. Again, Peyton, whose health had seemingly improved, was elected President. This Congress functioned as the governing body of the emerging country, the United States, and would govern until a few months before the 1781 British surrender.

This convention declared independence from Britain, created the first armies, and took charge of the war efforts. They issued currency, conducted business with other countries, and authorized the Declaration of Independence. They chose Washington as the commander of the new fighting force.

Peyton’s tenure was brief, as he resigned again after serving for only two weeks due to poor health. He was replaced as President by John Hancock. Peyton was too ill to travel to his home and died a few months later, still in Philadelphia. Even though he was not elected to the office by the people, he was the first man to serve as President in governing the new nation in both the first Congress and the second that declared our independence. Being the entity’s President at that time indeed effectively equaled being President of the United States.

Our first eight Presidents were not born in the United States. While they all entered life in colonies that would become states, all were born before the U.S.’s independence from Britain, making them British subjects. Five of the first six Presidents were born in Southern states, with only John Adams of Massachusetts being a northerner. Nine of the first thirteen Commanders in Chief were Southern born.

Virginia has been the birthplace of the largest number of Presidents, with eight calling the Commonwealth home. Seventeen of the forty-six Presidents hailed from Southern states; in addition to Virginia’s eight, North Carolina and Texas have provided two natives sons each, and South Carolina, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, and Kentucky have provided one each. That number may be adjusted slightly, as Andrew Jackson is claimed by both North and South Carolina, and the exact location of his birth is debated.