St. Clair elected President of the Confederation

Background. The presidency of the Congress of the Confederation was the continuation of the presiding office of the Continental Congress, which had carried over without interruption when the Articles of Confederation took effect in March 1781. The president was chosen by fellow delegates to moderate discussions, handle official correspondence only as instructed, and was designed to be largely ceremonial and unrelated to the later office of President of the United States.

Quorum Crisis of Early 1787. By early 1787 the Confederation Congress had been unable to elect a president for months. Shays's Rebellion was in full force, and the states refused to settle disputes or contribute to the six-year-old federal government. After Nathaniel Gorham resigned in November 1786, it was months before enough members were present to elect a successor.

Election and Aftermath. On 2 February 1787 the delegates finally gathered into a quorum and elected Arthur St. Clair, a Pennsylvania delegate who had served in the Confederation Congress since November 1785. As the states debated the proposed Constitution later in 1787, Congress became a caretaker government. St. Clair's tenure ended when Cyrus Griffin was elected the final president of Congress on 22 January 1788.