George Washington.
That’s the name everyone knows. It’s the answer on every third-grade history quiz and the face on the dollar bill. But honestly, if you really dig into the messy, chaotic birth of the American government, the question of who was first president of usa gets surprisingly complicated.
Most people just want the short version. They want the guy with the powdered wig who led the Continental Army. But history is rarely that clean. Before the Constitution we use today was even a finished thought, there was a whole other government—and a whole string of "presidents" that most history books just sort of ignore.
The Man, The Myth, The General
George Washington took the oath of office on April 30, 1789. He stood on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, probably feeling the weight of a brand-new nation on his shoulders. He wasn't just "the president"; he was the experiment.
Everything he did set a precedent. From how he wanted to be addressed—he famously rejected "His Highness" for the much humbler "Mr. President"—to the way he formed a cabinet, Washington was building the plane while flying it. He knew that if he messed up, the whole American project would probably collapse into a series of small, bickering states or, worse, get swallowed back up by the British Empire.
He was a tall, imposing figure, but he was also a man who suffered from terrible dental issues and a massive amount of stress. He didn't even want the job. He wanted to stay at Mount Vernon and fix his fences. But the country needed a unifying figure, and Washington was the only person everyone could agree on.
Wait, what about the "Other" First Presidents?
This is where things get weird.
If we’re being technical—and historians love being technical—the United States existed before 1789. The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. Between 1781 and 1789, the colonies were governed by the Articles of Confederation. This was basically a "firm league of friendship" that was, frankly, a bit of a disaster.
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Under the Articles, there was a presiding officer of the Continental Congress. The very first guy to hold that title after the Articles were ratified was John Hanson.
Some people, especially folks in Maryland, will look you dead in the eye and tell you John Hanson was the real first president of the United States. He served a one-year term starting in 1781. He even dealt with some pretty heavy stuff, like organizing the first treasury department and pushing for a national census.
But there’s a catch.
Hanson didn't have executive power. He couldn't veto laws, he wasn't the Commander-in-Chief, and he basically just ran meetings. He was more like a Speaker of the House than a modern President. So, while he was technically "President of the United States in Congress Assembled," he wasn't the executive head of state.
Why Washington is the "Real" First
The reason we stick with Washington isn't just because of the wig. It's because of the Constitution.
The 1787 Constitution created a completely new branch of government: the Executive. Washington was the first person to hold that specific, legally defined office. He wasn't just a chairman; he was the guy in charge of enforcing the laws.
When you ask who was first president of usa, you’re usually asking about the office that lives in the White House today. That office didn't exist until 1789.
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The Brutal Reality of the First Election
You might imagine a heated campaign with posters and debates.
Nope.
In 1789, there were no political parties. No "voter outreach." In fact, most regular people didn't even vote for the president. The electors did. And every single one of those 69 electors cast one of their two votes for Washington. It’s the only time in American history a president has been elected unanimously.
John Adams came in second, which, according to the rules at the time, made him the Vice President. He hated it. He called the Vice Presidency "the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived."
Washington, meanwhile, was basically acting as a diplomat between the North and the South. The country was broke, the British were still being annoying on the frontier, and his own cabinet was a shark tank. You had Alexander Hamilton (Treasury) and Thomas Jefferson (State) constantly at each other's throats.
Imagine trying to run a country while your two smartest advisors basically want to reinvent the government in two completely different ways. Jefferson wanted a rural, agrarian society. Hamilton wanted a manufacturing powerhouse with a strong central bank. Washington had to play referee.
Surprising Facts about the First Presidency
Most people think Washington lived in the White House. He didn't.
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He lived in New York, and then in Philadelphia. The White House wasn't finished until John Adams moved in at the very end of his term in 1800. Washington actually oversaw the design of the "Federal City" (now D.C.), but he never got to rule from it.
- The Salary: Washington was offered $25,000 a year. He tried to refuse it because he was wealthy and wanted to serve for free, but Congress insisted. They didn't want the presidency to be a job only rich people could afford to take.
- The Farewell: He chose to step down after two terms. This was huge. Most leaders at the time held power until they died or were overthrown. By leaving voluntarily, he proved that the office was bigger than the man.
- The Whiskey Rebellion: Washington is the only sitting president to actually lead troops into the field. When farmers in Western Pennsylvania refused to pay a tax on whiskey, Washington saddled up and led an army of 13,000 to show them that federal law wasn't optional.
The Legacy of the First President
Determining who was first president of usa involves understanding that Washington was more of a symbol than a politician. He was the "Indispensable Man."
Without his reputation, the Constitution probably wouldn't have been ratified. People trusted the new, powerful office of the presidency specifically because they knew Washington would be the one filling it. They knew he wasn't interested in being a king.
However, we have to talk about the contradictions. Washington was a man of the Enlightenment who spoke about liberty, yet he enslaved over 300 people at Mount Vernon. This paradox—the "freedom" of a nation built partly on the labor of the enslaved—is a core part of the American story that started right with the first administration. It’s a nuance that experts like Ron Chernow and Erica Armstrong Dunbar have explored deeply in recent years. You can't understand Washington without understanding the whole picture.
How to Verify These Facts Yourself
If you’re a history buff or just doing a school project, don't just take a blog post's word for it. Primary sources are where the real truth lives.
- The Library of Congress: They have digitized thousands of Washington's original letters. You can see his actual handwriting and read his private thoughts on the presidency.
- The National Archives: This is where the original Articles of Confederation and the Constitution live. Comparing these two documents shows you exactly why the "Presidents" before Washington didn't have the same power.
- Mount Vernon’s Digital Encyclopedia: This is a goldmine for weird details about his daily life, his dentures (which were not made of wood!), and his farming experiments.
Actionable Steps for Learning More
History isn't just about memorizing names. It’s about understanding the "why." If you want to really master this topic, here is what you should do next:
- Compare the documents: Read the first article of the Articles of Confederation and then Article II of the Constitution. You’ll immediately see why the definition of "President" changed so much.
- Visit the sites: If you’re ever on the East Coast, go to Federal Hall in NYC. Standing where the first inauguration happened gives you a sense of scale that a textbook can't provide.
- Read "Washington: A Life" by Ron Chernow: It’s a long read, but it’s the definitive look at the man behind the myth. It strips away the "God-like" image and shows you a human being who was often frustrated, frequently tired, and deeply aware of his own flaws.
Understanding who was first president of usa means looking past the 1789 start date and seeing the chaotic, experimental years that came before and the heavy precedents that came after. Washington wasn't just the first; he was the template for everything that followed.
Next Steps to Deepen Your Knowledge:
Visit the National Archives website to view the digitized "Founders Online" database. Search for correspondence between Washington and Madison during the summer of 1789 to see the real-time stress of building the executive branch from scratch.