President (title) - Presidential Timeline

Presidential Timeline

• 1640 - Henry Dunster succeeds Nathaniel Eaton as the head of Harvard College. He creates for himself the title of President of Harvard.
• 1774 - The Articles of Association are enacted and the United Colonies of America are formed on September 5, 1774 electing Peyton Randolph as presiding officer or President.
• 1776 - The United Colonies of America declare their independence from Great Britain and John Hancock becomes the President of the Continental Congress of the United States of America.
• 1781 - The Articles of Confederation of the United States are ratified, disbanding the Continental Congress. In its place a Perpetual Union of the United States of America is formed and creating the constitutional government known as the United States in Congress Assembled. Samuel Huntington is installed as the first President of the United States in Congress Assembled under the new constitution.
• 1783 - The independence of the United States of America is recognized by Great Britain, with the Treaty of Paris being signed by the ministers in 1783 and ratified in 1784 with Thomas Mifflin signing as President of the United States and King George III signing for Great Britain.
• 1787 - The United States Constitution creates the office of President of the United States, the powerful chief executive of the federal government.
• 1789 - George Washington becomes the first President of the United States under the ratified U.S. Constitution of 1787.
• 1806 - Haiti separates from France and becomes a republic. Henri Christophe declares himself President of Haiti, while Alexandre Pétion does so too in opposition to him.
• 1819 - Colombia declares independence from Spain with Simón Bolívar as first president.
• 1822 - Greece proclaims independence from the Ottoman Empire with Alexandros Mavrokordatos claiming to be president.
• 1848 - Liberia, after the settlement of former US slaves, becomes Africa's first republic with Joseph Jenkins Roberts as president.
• 1848 - After the fall of King Louis-Philippe France proclaims its Second Republic with a president as the new head of state.
• 1910 - The monarchy of Portugal is deposed and the post President of Portugal is created.
• 1912 - The Republic of China is founded after the Qing Dynasty is deposed, Sun Yat-sen becomes China's first president.
• 1959 - Madagascar separates from France and establishes Africa's second presidency.