Final answer:
Timothy Ruggles was the presiding officer of the Stamp Act Congress, convened in response to the Stamp Act. Delegates from nine colonies gathered to issue a Declaration of Rights and Grievances, asserting that taxation without consent was against their rights. The colonists' actions eventually led to the repeal of the Stamp Act.
Step-by-step explanation:
Leader of the Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress was an assembly of delegates from nine of the American colonies which met in October 1765. This congress was convened as a response to the unpopular Stamp Act imposed by the British Parliament, which required a revenue stamp on legal documents and printed materials. Notably, the leader or the presiding officer of the Stamp Act Congress was Timothy Ruggles from Massachusetts.
Throughout the Stamp Act Congress, the assembled representatives expressed their loyalty to King George III but firmly declared that taxation without consent was a violation of their rights. They issued a Declaration of Rights and Grievances, signaling the transition towards a unified political front amongst the colonies, something that British Prime Minister Grenville and Parliament had not anticipated or feared prior. Mobilizing forces like the Sons of Liberty and the Daughters of Liberty led popular protests and boycotts against British goods, emphasizing the intensity of colonial resistance.
Ultimately, the concerted efforts of the colonists were successful in compelling Lord Rockingham, the new prime minister, to repeal the Stamp Act in March 1766. This repeal was celebrated as a victory for the colonists' British liberty, although the same parliamentary session produced the Declaratory Act affirming Parliament's supremacy over colonial laws.