Who was elected the first president of the First Continental Congress in 1774?

Peyton Randolph was elected the first president of the First Continental Congress in 1774.

Randolph was a Virginia planter, lawyer, and experienced colonial legislator. Delegates chose him to preside when the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774. His position was that of presiding officer, not a national executive president.

He had already served as speaker of Virginia's House of Burgesses and was respected across the colonies. Randolph's leadership helped delegates from different colonies conduct an organized response to Britain's Coercive Acts.

Randolph also became president of the Second Continental Congress when it first met in 1775, but poor health prevented him from serving continuously. He was succeeded in that body by John Hancock. The later presidency of the United States, created by the Constitution, was a separate office with executive powers.