A president and governor

As the May 20 primary election nears, it's worth noting that once Pennsylvania's chief executive wasn't a governor, but a president. And one man held both offices: Thomas Mifflin.

Prior to the establishment of the governor's office, the Supreme Executive Council administered the state's executive branch, and the head of this council served as president. Seven men, including Benjamin Franklin and John Dickinson, held the office between 1776 and 1790. Mifflin was the last president (1788-1790) and the first and longest-serving governor (1790 to 1799).

The son of a merchant and city alderman, Mifflin was born into a prosperous Quaker family in Philadelphia in 1744. Educated at the College of Philadelphia (later part of the University of Pennsylvania), Mifflin became an outspoken critic of Parliament's taxation policies as early as 1769. A Pennsylvania delegate to both Continental Congresses - where he championed colonial rights and pressed for independence - Mifflin joined the Continental Army following the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord in 1775.

Mifflin initially served as Gen. George Washington's aide-de-camp until he was appointed quartermaster general, tasked with procuring and distributing supplies to the army. Mifflin was a decorated officer, participating in the battles of Long Island and Trenton and eventually attaining the rank of brigadier general. Because of his service in the war, Mifflin was expelled from the Society of Friends.

Returning to politics after the war, Mifflin served in the state legislature (1785-88), succeeded Franklin as president, and chaired the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention (1789-90). In this last capacity, Mifflin oversaw the writing of the state's constitution, which created the office of governor. Mifflin ran for the office without a party affiliation - the only Pennsylvania governor to do so.

During his nine-year tenure, Mifflin contended with popular uprisings, financial problems, and, in 1793, one of the worst outbreaks of yellow fever. His administration oversaw the organization of state political parties and addressed Pennsylvania's Revolutionary War debt. He personally commanded the militia that quelled the Whiskey Rebellion (1794).

Ironically, although Mifflin was able to manage army and commonwealth expenses, he was woefully inadequate at managing his personal finances. Literally chased out of Philadelphia by his creditors in 1799, Mifflin died the following year in Lancaster. He was buried there, at state expense, at the German Lutheran Church.