There was no President. nor any Executive Branch of Government during those years. so the equivalent of todays Cabinet secretaries reported to the Congress. First among the secretaries. ranking just behind the Members of Congress. was the Secretary of the Congress. This post was filled by one man during the entire history of the Continental Congress: Charles Thomson of Philadelphia. an Irish immigrant. businessman. politician. and classical scholara truly remarkable man. Thomson sat to the right of the President of the Congress where he oversaw the keeping of the Journal and its printing and distribution. took the roll. made special reports to Congress. and even occasionally served on its committees. He also kept the Seal of the Congress and placed it upon all official documents (it was Thomson who designed the Great Seal of the United States).
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