Presidents Who Served John Hanson (1715-1783)  Elias Boudinot (1740-1821)  Thomas Mifflin (1744-1800)  Richard Henry Lee (1732-1794)  John Hancock (1737-1793)  Nathaniel Gorham (1738-1796)  Arthur St. Clair (1737-1818)  Cyrus Griffin (1748-1810) The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States of America and was in effect from 1781-1789.  There were eight individuals appointed by Congress for a one-year term in office, and each was referred to as “President of the United States in Congress Assembled.”  When John Hanson of Maryland was appointed in 1781, he was the first to serve the one-year term in office as specified in Article IX of the Articles of Confederation: The United States in Congress assembled shall have authority… to appoint  such other committees and civil officers as may be necessary for managing the  general affairs of the United States under their direction—to appoint one of  their members to preside, provided that no person be allowed to serve  in the office of president more than one year in any term of three years; It could be said that 14 men served as President of the United States before George Washington, and although they led the Continental Congress, they were unquestionably among the leaders who shaped the country