The question of who served as president in 1787 reveals one of the most fascinating and frequently misunderstood chapters in American history. If you are looking for George Washington, you will not find him in the executive chair during this year. So washington did not take the oath of office as the first President of the United States under the Constitution until April 30, 1789. In 1787, the United States operated under the Articles of Confederation, a framework that did not feature a separate executive branch or a "President of the United States" in the modern sense. Instead, the nation was led by a President of the United States in Congress Assembled, a largely ceremonial presiding officer elected by the delegates of the Confederation Congress No workaround needed..
During the critical year of 1787—the year the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia—two men held this congressional presidency: Arthur St. Clair and Cyrus Griffin. Understanding their roles requires a look at the fragile political structure that preceded the Constitution.
The Government Under the Articles of Confederation
To understand the presidency of 1787, one must first understand the Articles of Confederation. Here's the thing — ratified in 1781, the Articles created a "firm league of friendship" among the thirteen sovereign states. The central government consisted solely of a unicameral legislature: the Congress of the Confederation.
There was no executive branch to enforce laws, no federal judiciary to interpret them, and no power to tax or regulate commerce directly. Elected by fellow delegates for a one-year term (though often serving shorter stints), the president’s duties were administrative: moderating debate, signing official documents, and handling correspondence. The "President" under this system was not a chief executive but the presiding officer of Congress. They had no veto power, no command over the military, and no agenda-setting authority independent of Congress Turns out it matters..
This distinction is critical. When historians say "Arthur St. Clair was president in 1787," they refer to a parliamentary role closer to the modern Speaker of the House or the President of the Senate than to the modern Oval Office occupant.
Arthur St. Clair: The President During the Constitutional Convention
Arthur St. Clair served as President of the Confederation Congress from February 2, 1787, to November 4, 1787. His tenure covers the vast majority of the year, including the entire duration of the Constitutional Convention (May 25 – September 17, 1787) Easy to understand, harder to ignore..
Born in Scotland in 1737, St. Consider this: he was a delegate from Pennsylvania and a member of the Society of the Cincinnati. So naturally, clair was a veteran of the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, rising to the rank of major general. His presidency coincided with the most critical legislative moment of the Confederation period: the drafting of the new Constitution No workaround needed..
While St. Day to day, clair presided over Congress in New York City, delegates in Philadelphia—including Washington, Madison, and Franklin—were effectively dismantling the very government St. That's why clair led. The Confederation Congress had authorized the convention only to "revise" the Articles, but the delegates proposed an entirely new system of government And it works..
St. Now, clair’s role during this summer was delicate. Plus, he was the nominal head of the government that the Convention proposed to replace. Historical records suggest St. Clair was a nationalist who favored a stronger central government, yet he was bound by his office to manage the existing Confederation machinery. His Congress received the proposed Constitution on September 20, 1787, and after heated debate, voted on September 28 to transmit it to the states for ratification—without endorsement or condemnation, a compromise engineered to preserve unity.
St. Clair’s presidency ended on November 4, 1787, just as the ratification battles were heating up in state conventions across the country.
Cyrus Griffin: The Final President of the Confederation
Following St. Which means clair’s resignation, Cyrus Griffin of Virginia was elected President of Congress on November 4, 1787. He served until the new federal government began operations in 1789 (specifically until November 1788, when Congress effectively ceased to function before the First Congress convened).
Griffin, a lawyer and judge trained in England, had previously served as a delegate and as a commissioner to the Creek and Cherokee nations. His presidency oversaw the final, frantic months of the Confederation. And during his term, the critical ninth state (New Hampshire) ratified the Constitution on June 21, 1788, technically establishing the new framework. Griffin’s Congress spent its final days arranging the logistics for the first presidential election and the meeting of the First Federal Congress in New York Which is the point..
Griffin holds the distinction of being the last President of the United States in Congress Assembled. When George Washington was inaugurated in 1789, the office Griffin held ceased to exist, replaced by the vastly more powerful Presidency defined in Article II of the Constitution.
Real talk — this step gets skipped all the time.
Why This Confusion Exists: Semantics and History
The confusion surrounding "who was president in 1787" stems from the dual use of the title "President."
- President of the Continental/Congress Assembled (1774–1789): There were 14 men who held this title before the Constitution, starting with Peyton Randolph and ending with Cyrus Griffin. They were legislators first, presiding officers second.
- President of the United States (1789–Present): Created by Article II of the Constitution, this is a distinct, powerful executive office. George Washington was the first to hold this specific title.
It is a historical anomaly that the same word describes two radically different offices. This leads to the men of 1787—St. Clair and Griffin—were not "forgotten presidents" in the executive sense; they were the legislative leaders of a failing confederation trying to manage a country on the brink of financial collapse and disunion Not complicated — just consistent..
The Context of 1787: A Nation in Crisis
The presidencies of St. Clair and Griffin occurred against a backdrop of crisis that explains why the Constitutional Convention happened.
- Economic Chaos: The Confederation Congress could not pay war debts (domestic or foreign). States issued their own currencies; trade wars erupted between states.
- Shays’ Rebellion (1786–1787): An armed uprising in Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays exposed the government's inability to maintain domestic order. Congress lacked the power to raise an army to suppress it; Massachusetts had to fund its own militia. This event terrified elites like Washington and Madison and directly spurred the call for the Philadelphia Convention.
- Diplomatic Impotence: Britain refused to evacuate forts in the Northwest Territory; Spain closed the Mississippi River to American navigation. The Confederation had no take advantage of.
Arthur St. But clair presided over a Congress that was essentially bankrupt and paralyzed. His most significant official act was likely the passage of the Northwest Ordinance (July 13, 1787).
