Who was the first president?

gmackematix

The title of "president" seems to have come from Latin via French and has been used there for centuries for the heads of various assemblies but the first to use it has been lost to us. In the US, it was certainly in use by 1640 when Henry Dunstan became the first President of Harvard. The US were first to use the title to mean the executive head of a republic, and we all know George Washington was first President of the United States. This is not to be confused with the President of the United States in Congress Assembled, which was first held by Peyton Randolph 12 years previously. Anyway, here is some info on the word and its spread: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_%28history_of_the_term%29 Jan 22 06, 7:45 PM

TabbyTom

Magdalen College, Oxford, has a President at its head, and this title seems to go back to the foundation of the college. According to “The Encyclopaedia of Oxford,” the college “received its foundation charter on 12 June 1458. This named William Tybard as the first President.” Queens’ College, Cambridge, has a President and was founded a little earlier in 1448, but I’m not sure whether the title has been used from the time of the foundation. Jan 22 06, 9:13 PM

Arpeggionist

None of those come near the record I would have had in mind. The Hebrew term for "president" or "chieftain" is "nasi". The word appears several times in the Bible, the first referring to Abraham who was a "n'si Elohim" (one who was uplifted by God). The first time the term is used to describe a title is in the first chapter of Numbers, when 12 "n'si'im" are appointed to lead the individual tribes and to oversee the census taken. The first of these was the chieftain/president/nasi Elitzur bed Sh'de'ur, of Reuven (Numbers 1:4). Jan 23 06, 12:41 AM

gmackematix

Well, yes, there are early ancient words for people who preside over something, Arpy. Goes without saying really. ;) Jan 23 06, 6:39 PM

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