SINCE becoming independent in 1776, Americans have elected 45 men to shape US society and uphold its democratic values.
George Washington, the son of a planter, was the first president to hold office.
Here’s a look at America’s first commander-in-chief and the men who have followed.
Washington was elected the first official president in 1789.
Before becoming president, he served as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783 in the American Revolutionary War.
Washington led the colonial forces to a victory over British troops and became a national hero.
In 1787, he was chosen to lead the Constitutional Convention where he showed impressive leadership and convinced delegates to choose him as America’s first leader, according to HISTORY.
Although Washington is widely considered America’s first official leader, six other men technically served as “president” before him.
When the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1774, the delegates elected a leader or “president” to oversee the group’s legislative decisions and meet with foreign dignitaries, much like today’s presidential duties.
Virginia Delegate Peyton Randolph served as the president of the First Continental Congress from September to October 1774, according to the US House of Representative’s archives.
South Carolina Delegate Henry Middleton took over for four days from Oct. 22-26, 1774 before Randolph returned to lead the Second Continental Congress from May 10-24, 1775.
Between May 24, 1775 and Mar. 1, 1781, Massachusetts Delegate John Hancock, South Carolina Delegate Henry Laurens, New York Delegate John Jay, and Connecticut Delegate Samuel Huntington all served as president for a period time.
Here’s a chronological list of all 45 presidents since 1789:
Barack Obama was elected the first black president in US history in 2008 and served for two terms.
Before leaving office in 2017, he spent his two terms fighting for health care reform and working to decrease income inequality.
Franklin D. Roosevelt is the longest-serving US president – he entered office on Mar. 4, 1933 and sat in the Oval Office for four terms until his death in 1945.
FDR is best known for leading the US through the Great Depression and World War II while expanding the federal government’s power through a series of programs and reforms known as the New Deal.
Ronald Reagan is the only movie star to ever become president and was known as “the Great Communicator” because of his impressive oratory skills.
Abraham Lincoln is revered for his famous Emancipation Proclamation, which paved the way for the abolition of slavery in the US.
