Samuel Huntington (President of the Continental Congress)

Samuel Huntington was President of the Continental Congress from September 28, 1779, until the Articles of Confederation provided for a new form of government on March 1, 1781. At that point, he was called President of the United States in Congress assembled.. He was preceded in the office of President of the Continental Congress by John Jay. On July 16, 1781, he resigned his position for ill health, and was succeeded by Thomas McKean.

Huntington was born on July 5, 1731 in Scotland, Connecticut. A farmer's son, he had little formal education, and originally served as a cooper's apprentice before he became self-taught as a lawyer. He served in the colonial Connecticut legislature and then as king's attorney; in 1774 he became a judge. He joined the Continental Congress in January 1776, and later that year voted for the Declaration of Independence.

After serving in the Continental Congress, Huntington briefly served as head of the Connecticut superior court, before becoming lieutenant governor. In 1786 he was elected governor, and was reelected annually until his death on on January 5, 1796.