Travel in Time with Dan: Samuel Huntington—America’s Forgotten First President
Hey everybody, how are you doing? It’s Dan Blanchard here with another edition of Travel in Time with Dan, where we mix travel with history, with leadership, and… of course… with me, Dan Blanchard!
Today, we are standing on Huntington Street in Scotland, Connecticut…once part of Windham… looking at the Huntington Homestead. Most people walk right past this quiet house without realizing that the man who was born and raised here served as the first President of the United States… not under the Constitution, but under the Articles of Confederation. His name was Samuel Huntington, and almost nobody remembers him.
I’ve traveled back in time to speak with the man himself… Connecticut’s self-taught lawyer, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the forgotten first president who held a fragile new nation together.
Here is our fictional conversation.
The Interview: Dan Blanchard Meets Samuel Huntington
Dan Blanchard: Mr. President! Dan Blanchard here from Travel in Time with Dan. Thank you for meeting me at your homestead. Most Americans today will tell you George Washington was the first president. You’re the man who came before him under our first written government.
Samuel Huntington: (Standing with quiet dignity, the bearing of a man who never sought the spotlight) Mr. Blanchard. Titles can be misleading. George Washington was the first president under the Constitution of 1789, and rightly so. But when the United States became a sovereign nation under the Articles of Confederation, I was serving as President of the United States in Congress Assembled. The civil government had to function while General Washington commanded the army in the field. Someone had to preside. After John Jay left the chair, the Continental Congress chose me.
Dan: You didn’t start with privilege. You were born in 1731 right here in the Scotland parish of Windham to a modest farming family. No money for Harvard or Yale. How did a farm boy without a college education end up at the head of a new nation?
Samuel Huntington: By borrowing books. I studied law on my own… pulling volumes from local libraries, from clergymen, and from practicing attorneys. At twenty-three I passed the bar in Windham. Seeing little future for a lawyer in a small agrarian town, I moved thirteen miles south to Norwich, where a growing community offered more opportunity. Hard work and a reputation for integrity did the rest. When the colonies needed men in Philadelphia, Connecticut sent me alongside Roger Sherman and Oliver Wolcott.
Dan: You signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. In Philadelphia you were known as a moderate rather than a firebrand like Samuel Adams. Why did that matter?
Samuel Huntington: Because a new nation cannot be built on pure passion alone. Moderation gave the Congress stability and credibility. Radical voices were necessary to push the cause forward, but someone had to keep the center from flying apart. Steady hands reassure the cautious and give the whole enterprise a leg to stand on.
Dan: When the Articles were ratified, and you became President of the United States in Congress Assembled, the job was more ceremonial than powerful. Yet the problems were enormous… financial collapse, runaway inflation, states refusing to fund the army, delegates who simply failed to show up. And you paid for official dinners and diplomatic functions out of your own pocket.
Samuel Huntington: The presidency under the Articles carried no salary and no expense allowance. Many of us who served early paid dearly for the privilege. Public service was not a path to wealth; it was a duty. The young nation was drowning in debt and inflation. Washington’s troops were under-supplied while states withheld their contributions. Attendance in Congress was often so poor that critical business stalled. Holding the government together required constant, exhausting effort with very little formal authority.
Dan: You recognized the Articles were too weak. When the time came for a stronger Constitution, you supported it… and supported George Washington as the executive under that new system… even though it meant your own role would be largely forgotten.
Samuel Huntington: Patriotism must outweigh personal vanity. A weak central government could not sustain the republic. The nation needed a stronger framework and a real executive branch. If supporting that change meant history would remember Washington as the first president and largely overlook the men who held the government together under the Articles, so be it. National survival mattered more than individual fame.
Dan: After your health forced you to leave national office, you returned to Connecticut and continued serving… first simultaneously as Lieutenant Governor and Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court, then as the 18th Governor of Connecticut. You were re-elected every year and remained undefeated until you died in office.
Samuel Huntington: The people of Connecticut trusted me with continued service, and I gave it. During those years, Connecticut also observed a long-standing custom of Black Governors elected by the Black community to look after their own affairs alongside the official state administration. My own servant, also named Samuel Huntington, served in that role while I governed the broader state. It is part of the complicated fabric of the time.
Dan: Standing here at your homestead, the leadership lesson feels clear and powerful. You don’t need wealth, family influence, an Ivy League degree, or a famous title to become an important leader. Real leadership is measured by service, not by the credit you receive.
Samuel Huntington: Exactly, Mr. Blanchard. Greatness is not reserved for those born to privilege. A farm boy who educates himself, serves without seeking applause, and places the strength of the nation above his own historical standing can still help forge a country. Moderate, steady stewardship holds communities together when division threatens to tear them apart. And the highest form of leadership is often the willingness to step aside so that something stronger can take your place.
Dan: Boom! Drop the gavel! Mr. President, thank you for your time, your example, and for reminding us that some of the most important leaders are the ones history almost forgets.
Samuel Huntington: Safe travels back to your century, Mr. Blanchard. May those who lead today remember that service outranks stature… and that a nation is stronger when its people put the common good above personal glory.
The Travel in Time Wrap-Up
Standing at the Huntington Homestead in Scotland, Connecticut, with Samuel Huntington made one truth impossible to ignore: You do not need power, wealth, fame, or an impressive title to become an important leader.
Born a farm boy with no money for college, Huntington educated himself, passed the bar at twenty-three, and rose through integrity and steady work. He signed the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, presided over the Continental Congress, and became the first President of the United States in Congress Assembled under our first written government. He held a fragile nation together through financial crisis, military shortages, and governmental paralysis—paying the costs out of his own pocket. When a stronger Constitution was needed, he supported it and supported George Washington, knowing full well that history would largely forget him. He returned home, served Connecticut as lieutenant governor, chief justice, and undefeated governor until his death.
Today the Samuel Huntington Trust preserves his homestead and keeps his memory alive. Most Americans still answer “George Washington” when asked who the first president was. Under the Constitution, they are correct. But the full story is richer… and more instructive.
True leadership is not measured by the size of the spotlight. It is measured by the strength of what you help build, the steadiness you provide in crisis, and the willingness to put the nation’s future above your own place in the history books.
So, where in your life are you waiting for the perfect credentials, the right title, or public recognition before you lead? And what might change if you simply started serving… quietly, steadily, and without demanding the credit?
Until next time, this is Dan Blanchard with the Travel in Time with Dan show… where we mix travel with history, leadership, and me! Take care, and have a wonderful day!
Enjoyed this journey into the story of America’s forgotten first president? Don’t forget to check out our companion book chapters, YouTube videos, and podcasts to keep uncovering history and inspiring leadership!
Uncovering History. Inspiring Leadership.
📺 Watch the episode: YouTube | 🎙️ Listen to the podcast: Spotify | 📖 Read the blog: granddaddyssecrets.com | 📚 Dan’s book: Travel in Time in Connecticut
