Who was the very first president of any country?

A while ago one of our local public radio call in programs, called "Anything you ever wanted to know", fielded a question from a listener who asked "Who was the very first president of any country ever?"

The answer came from Wikipedia, our sometimes questionable, but always interesting, on line source of encyclopedic knowledge.

Before the US Constitution there was never a president of a nation. So the father of our country (who had no children of his own), George Washington, was not only our first president, but also The First President.

We often forget that this country is an ongoing experiment in a new form of government. There were democracies and republics in ancient times, but never one with an elected head of state. Washington defined the role of the president, and limited the power of the office.

This little tid bit of history explains the continuous struggle we see between the presidents and the other branches of the federal government. Presidents sometimes add signing statements to bills, which may or may not effect the way a law is implemented by the various enforcement agencies. Presidents also attempt to assign justices that follow specific policies attitudes.

Each president has brought a unique view of the presidency to the office. The presidency and the power it entails is constantly being redefined as we go forward.

The very first president of any county was our first president, and we can look to his words for an idea of what he thought about it all.

"I can only say that I have contributed towards the organization and administration of the Government the best exertions of which a very fallible judgement was capable."

George Washington Sept. 17, 1796

ref: Wikipedia - President (history of the term)

ref: American President: President George Washington