George Washington was unanimously elected president of the 1787 Constitutional Convention. The delegates chose him to preside over the meeting in Philadelphia, where they debated a new framework for the United States government.
The convention met from May 25 through September 17, 1787. Washington’s earlier leadership as commander in chief of the Continental Army gave him exceptional national stature, even though he generally avoided directing the delegates’ substantive debates.
The title “president” here meant presiding officer of the convention, not president of the United States. Washington later became the first U.S. president under the Constitution, taking office in 1789. The convention ultimately produced the Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation after the ratification process.