General Ignorance: Who was the first President of America?

raikespeare · 1072383. Sat May 03, 2014 11:19 pm

Answer: Depending on your definition of America, Peyton Randolph could be considered the first President of America because he was the first President of the Continental Congress, the governing body which led the American Revolution. If you want to be more strict and ask who the first US president, or president of America as an independent country with a defined legal system, the first President would be Samuel Huntington, who assumed the presidency under the Articles of Confederation in 1781.

Of course, in the United States we learn that George Washington was the first President. But he was actually the first person elected President of the United States (prior Presidents were appointed by the congress), and the first US President given executive authority under the United States Constitution. A subtle difference, but an interesting one nonetheless.