what position did george washington serve in the constitutional convention?
Delegate to the Continental Congress
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 Washington 's participation in the debates was minor , although he cast his vote when called upon ; his prestige facilitated the collegiality and productivity of the delegates . After a couple of months into the task , Washington told Alexander Hamilton , " I almost despair of seeing a favorable issue to the proceedings of our convention and do therefore repent having had any agency in the business . " Following the Convention , his support convinced many , but not all of his colleagues , to vote for ratification . He unsuccessfully lobbied anti @-@ federalist Patrick Henry , saying that " the adoption of it under the present circumstances of the Union is in my opinion desirable ; " he declared that the only alternative would be anarchy . Nevertheless , he did not consider it appropriate to cast his vote in favor of adoption for Virginia , since he was expected to be nominated president thereunder . The new Constitution was subsequently ratified by all thirteen states . The delegates to the convention designed the presidency with Washington in mind , allowing him to define the office by establishing precedent once elected . In the end after agreements were hatched however , Washington thought the achievements finally made were monumental . 

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 Although the Annapolis Convention saw only about a dozen delegates attend , representing only five states , it called for a meeting to be held in Philadelphia in May 1787 , to devise amendments to the Articles of Confederation which would result in a more durable constitutional arrangement . Accordingly , in December 1786 , the Virginia General Assembly elected seven men as the commonwealth 's delegation : Washington , Mason , Henry , Randolph , Madison , Wythe , and John Blair . Henry declined appointment , and his place was given to Dr. James McClurg . Randolph , who had just been elected governor , sent three notifications of election to Mason , who accepted without any quibbles . The roads were difficult because of spring flooding , and Mason was the last Virginia delegate to arrive , on May 17 , three days after the convention 's scheduled opening . But it was not until May 25 that the convention formally opened , with the arrival of at least one delegate from ten of the twelve states which sent representatives ( Rhode Island sent no one ) . 

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 George Washington was unanimously elected president of the Convention , and it was agreed that the discussions and votes would be kept secret until the conclusion of the meeting . Although William Jackson was elected as secretary , his records were brief and included very little detail . Madison 's Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 , supplemented by the notes of Robert Yates , remain the most complete record of the Convention . Throughout the debate , delegates constantly referred to precedents from history in support of their position . Most commonly , they referred to the history of England , in particular the Glorious Revolution ( often simply called " The Revolution " ) , classical history ( mainly the Roman Republic and the leagues of Greek city @-@ states ) , and recent precedents from Holland and Germany . 

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 Mason knew few of the delegates who were not from Virginia or Maryland , but his reputation preceded him . Once delegates representing sufficient states had arrived in Philadelphia by late May , the convention held closed sessions at the Pennsylvania State House ( today , Independence Hall ) . Washington was elected the convention 's president by unanimous vote , and his tremendous personal prestige as the victorious war general helped legitimize the convention , but also caused him to abstain from debate . Mason had no such need to remain silent , and only four or five delegates spoke as frequently as he did . Though he ended up not signing the constitution , according to Broadwater , Mason won as many convention debates as he lost . 

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 In July 1774 he chaired the meeting at which the " Fairfax Resolves " were adopted , which called for the convening of a Continental Congress , among other things . In August , Washington attended the First Virginia Convention , where he was selected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress . 
