Elias Boudinot practiced law at Elizabethtown, New Jersey, and joined revolutionary committees before receiving responsibility for prisoners of war. As commissary general of prisoners he sought information about captives, negotiated exchanges and worked to improve their treatment. The work required cooperation with both armies and Washington's headquarters. He also served repeatedly in the Continental and Confederation Congresses.

Chosen president of Congress in November 1782, Boudinot presided during the concluding year of the war. The office involved directing congressional business rather than the executive powers of a later U.S. president. During his term Congress relocated from Philadelphia to Princeton after soldiers demanding pay threatened its security. Peace negotiations and the financial obligations of independence remained central concerns. His presidency ended in November 1783.

Boudinot represented New Jersey in the first three federal Congresses from 1789 to 1795, supporting the new government's organization. Washington then appointed him director of the U.S. Mint, an office he held until 1805 under three presidents. He was active in educational and religious philanthropy, serving as a Princeton trustee and helping establish the American Bible Society in 1816 as its first president. He also supported antislavery causes and published religious works. At Burlington he combined these activities with property management and correspondence until his death in 1821.