William Ewen was the first president of the Council of Safety of Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

 during the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

. He is considered the state's first chief executive, although the first chief executive under a proper constitutional government (the "Rules and Regulations" of 1776) was Archibald Bulloch

Archibald Bulloch

Archibald Bulloch was a lawyer, soldier, and statesman from Georgia during the American Revolution.-Early life:...

, and the first person to hold the title of (non-royal) "governor" was John A. Treutlen

John A. Treutlen

John Adam Treutlen arrived in colonial America as an indentured servant and rose to become a wealthy merchant and landowner. He was a leader in Georgia of the American Revolution and helped write Georgia’s first constitution. In 1777, he was elected Georgia’s first governor...

.

Believed to have been born in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 in 1720, Ewen came to Georgia in 1734 as an indentured servant

Indentured servant

Indentured servitude refers to the historical practice of contracting to work for a fixed period of time, typically three to seven years, in exchange for transportation, food, clothing, lodging and other necessities during the term of indenture. Usually the father made the arrangements and signed...

. Later, he became one of the so-called "Malcontents" who opposed the Trustees of the colony. Ewen served in the colonial Assembly starting in 1761.

Ewen was elected president of the council on June 22, 1775 and served until December 11, 1775. He returned to the post, possibly acting as president for the absent Elisha Butler, from February 20, 1776 through May 1, 1776.