THE INDEPENDENT GAZETTEER; OR THE CHRONICLE OF FREEDOM, Philadelphia, May 26, 1787

• Constitutional Convention begins
• George Washington elected president

An exceedingly historic issue as this newspaper reports the formal beginning of the Constitutional Convention--terrific to have in a newspaper from the city where these notable proceedings were held.
As such, this is likely the first newspaper to report this event, which significantly includes the election of George Washington as its President. This event would presage his election as President of the United States in less than two years.
From Philadelphia is a report datelined May 26 with the historic report: "Yesterday, at the State House in this city, seven states were fully represented in Convention: These forming a quorum, they proceeded to the choice of a President, and his Excellency General Washington was unanimously elected to that important station.
Major William Jackson, we hear, was at the same time appointed Secretary to this Honorable Board."
Note that Washington's election was on the 25th, and this newspaper is dated the 26th.
Following this are various reports on events in Congress dated March 28, April 9 and 11.
Complete in four pages, 9 1/4 by 11 1/4 inches, in excellent condition.

Background: This May 26, 1787 issue of Philadelphia’s The Independent Gazetteer; or, the Chronicle of Freedom stands as an exceptionally rare, highly desirable artifact of early American history, capturing the absolute beginning of the United States Constitutional Convention. Printed in the very city where delegates assembled at the Pennsylvania State House, this complete four-page original issue (9 ¼ × 11 ¼ inches) is arguably the very first newspaper to publish the convention's formal opening, printed just one day after a seven-state quorum was achieved on May 25. Most notably, it features a crucial local report datelined May 26 documenting the unanimous election of General George Washington as President of the Board—a milestone moment of executive leadership that foreshadowed his presidency of the United States less than two years later—alongside the appointment of Major William Jackson as Secretary. Contemporary newsprint documenting the foundational moments of the nation's founding documents is notoriously scarce; because this paper provides immediate, local reporting on the exact day after Washington took the chair, surviving copies in excellent condition are virtually unobtainable collectibles that hold profound historical value.