On this day in 1777,  Brigadier General George Clinton was elected as the first governor of the independent state of New York. Clinton would go on to become New York’s longest-serving governor, as well as the longest-serving governor in the United States. He held the post until 1795, and again from 1801 to 1804. In 1805, he was elected vice president of the United States, a position he maintained under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, until his death in 1812. There's no question that politics ran in Clinton's family. His father, Charles, immigrated to New York from Ireland and served in the New York colonial assembly. His brother, James, served as a major general during the Revolutionary War. In addition, James’ son, DeWitt Clinton, would follow in his uncle’s footsteps and serve as the governor of New York from 1817 to 1823. Clinton had a close friendship with George Washington, and his hatred of New York Tories wasn't lost on anyone. In fact, as govern...

On this day in 1784, the Continental Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris at the Maryland State House in Annapolis. The document, negotiated in part by future President John Adams, included terms for ending the Revolutionary War and established the United States as a sovereign nation. The treaty set territorial boundaries in North America formerly held by the British, outlined America’s fishing rights off the coast of Canada, and put an end to reprisals against British loyalists. Two other future presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, were among the delegates who ratified the document on January 14, 1874. Thomas Jefferson had planned to travel to Paris to join Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay to begin talks with the British in 1782. However, after a delay in his travel plans, Jefferson got word that a cessation of hostilities had been announced by King George III the prior December. Jefferson arrived in Paris in late February after the treaty had already been negot...

On this day in 1777, John Hancock resigns his position as president of the Continental Congress because of a prolonged illness. He was the first member of the Continental Congress to sign the Declaration of Independence and is arguably best known for his bold signature on the historic document. Having been elected to the Continental Congress in 1774 as a delegate from Massachusetts, Hancock became its president following the resignation of Peyton Randolph in May 1775. During his tenure as president, Hancock presided over some of the most significant moments of the American Revolution, culminating in the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. After resigning his position as president, Hancock returned to his home state of Massachusetts, where he continued his work in public service. After helping to establish the state’s first constitution, Hancock was elected first governor of the commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1780 and served for five years. He opted not to r...

John Hanson (1721-1783) is sometimes called the first president of the United States. But how can this be? Wasn't George Washington the first to hold the position? Let me clear up the confusion: John Hanson was the first president of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation. Since the presidency did not exist as an executive position separate from Congress until the federal Constitution created the role upon its ratification in 1789, Hanson did not -- and could not, even if he wanted to -- hold the position of U.S. president as we know it today. Upon the ratification of the Articles on March 1, 1781, the Continental Congress became the “Congress of the Confederation” or the “United States in Congress Assembled.” Hanson was the first president of that body, but not of the United States. Before serving as president of the Congress, he was appointed to the Maryland Colonial Assembly,  named as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, and elected to th...