And thank you for this post. Also see The Jew who financed the American Revolution and then died penniless
How about the first president of the US, Peyton Randolph. He was the first President of the Continential Congress under the Articles of Confederation. There was no Executive office under the Articles, so President of Congress was the highest position in the Federal government.
You can read more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_Continental_Congress
Big_T