The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.
Proverbs 12:27
George Washington was the first President of the United States upon ratification of the U.S. Constitution. But Sam Huntington has the claim to being the first “executive” of the U.S. upon the ratification of the Articles of Confederation, which was the nation’s framework for government as instituted near the end of the Revolutionary War. Interesting, since most of us have never heard of Sam Huntington.
It goes to show us that great things can be accomplished by industrious people who work in the shadows of history and never enjoy the limelight of fame. Huntington would be the “poster boy” for accomplishing significant things in almost total obscurity. According to historian Denise Kiernan he was “reserved, religious, formal, dignified and shy.” He was a self-educated lawyer and a barrel maker. He also worked as a judge, legislator, Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, Governor of Connecticut and, of course, “President of the United States in Congress Assembled” for four months!
All that, and most people have never heard of him. Be that as it may, we can certainly appreciate his outstanding success quality: he was “industrious.” It doesn’t appear that he had a lazy bone in his body. His industry contributed significantly to the quality of life for the citizens of Connecticut and the United States of America.
(For more information on Huntington and the other signers of the Declaration of Independence see Signing Their Lives Away by Denise Kiernan.)
