The Articles of Confederation provided a loose framework 
for a national government; however, the national government 
had very little authority.  The majority of the people in 
the United States identified their local and state 
governments as being the most important governments.
Therefore, the first fourteen people to hold the office of 
President go virtually unrecognized during the study of 
American History.

Here are the first fourteen people to be President of the 
United States by name, the state they were from, and the 
date they took office.

1. Peyton Randolph - Virginia September 5, 1774
2. Henry Middelton - South Carolina October 22, 1774

   Peyton Randolph (finished Middleton`s term) - May 10, 1775

3. John Hancock - Massachusetts May 24, 1775
   (President on July 4, 1776 for Declaration of Independence)
4. Henry Laurens - South Carolina November 1, 1777
5. John Jay - New York December 10, 1778
6. Samuel Huntington - Connecticut September 28, 1779
7. Thomas McKean - Delaware July 10, 1781
8. John Hanson - Maryland November 5, 1781
   
9. Elis Boudinot - New Jersey November 4, 1782
10. Thomas Mifflin - Pennsylvania November 3, 1783
11. Richard Henry Lee - Virginia November 30, 1784

    John Hancock (2nd term) - Nov 23 1785 to June 5, 1786

12. Nathaniel Gorham - Massachusetts June 6, 1786
13. Arthur St. Clair - Pennsylvania February 2, 1787
14. Cyrus Griffin - Virginia January 22, 1788