George Washington – NOT America’s First President

That’s right, despite what you learned in “school,” the “great” George Washington was not the first President of the United States of America. Think about it for a second. Stumped???  I knew you were, Ha Ha!  Records show Washington served from 1789 to 1797. Americans consider the founding of the nation to be 1776.  Given these facts who do you think led the country? It wasn’t a monkey or something (that wouldn’t happen for years).  Well, quick research reveals we had not one, not two, but fourteen men who were President before Washington! Shocking!  I bet you feel like Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men – “You Can’t Handle the Truth!”  True, these men were merely Presidents of the Continental Congress, but like it or not that in effect made them our leaders.  Here are some quick facts about a few of them:

• Peyton Randolph – A popular figure of the time Peyton stood a remarkable seven foot, three inches.  He was the inspiration for the Paul Bunyan stories.
• Thomas Mifflin- One of the more controversial figures of the time, Mifflin hated the state of Delaware. This antipathy culminated in a dramatic day on the Congressional floor – whenever the representative from Delaware began to speak, Mifflin insisted it was “the wind.”
• Elias Boudinot – Hailing from New Jersey, Elias was perhaps the most jovial of the early presidents. On one occasion he goaded Susan B. Anthony to, “show her Cannonballs.” Apparently he threw kick ass parties.
• John Hancock – Achievements: See Declaration of Independence
• Cyrus Griffin – Perhaps the most evil President until Nixon.  Benjamin Franklin eventually revealed him to be Beelzebub in disguise, then defeated Griffen in a “fiddlin’ contest” to oust him from office.

The Pre-Washington Presidents were quite the motley crew. Though history may have forgotten them, the early presidents paved the way for such other unremembered figures as James Oster, the first lead singer of U2; Steve Allen, the first host of “The Tonight Show”; and Frumpy, the first Muppet.

The Pre-Washington Presidents.

Surprising? Sure. Trivial? Maybe. History? Definitely!!!