You probably think George Washington was the first person to run this country. Most people do. It’s what they teach us in third grade, right? But if you ask a history buff or a resident of Frederick, Maryland, they might give you a funny look. They’ll tell you about a guy named John Hanson.
Was he actually the first president? Kinda. But it's complicated.
Honestly, the "John Hanson the first president of the United States" debate is one of those things that keeps historians up at night. It’s not just a trivia question; it’s a peek into how messy and chaotic the birth of America really was. Before we had the Constitution, we had the Articles of Confederation. And under those Articles, John Hanson was the man at the top.
The Man Behind the Myth
John Hanson wasn't some random guy who stumbled into the job. He was a Maryland powerhouse. Born in 1721 in Charles County, he spent decades in the trenches of colonial politics. He was a merchant, a sheriff, and a delegate who basically lived and breathed the Revolution.
By the time 1781 rolled around, the colonies were in a weird spot. We’d "won" the war at Yorktown, but we didn't really have a functioning national government. The states were bickering over land, money, and power.
Hanson was the one who finally got Maryland to sign the Articles of Confederation. This was a huge deal because Maryland was the last holdout. Once they signed, the United States officially had its first "constitution."
On November 5, 1781, the new Congress met and needed a leader. They chose John Hanson. His official title? "President of the United States in Congress Assembled." ## Wait, So Why Isn't He on the One-Dollar Bill?
Here is where the "kinda" comes in.
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John Hanson’s job was nothing like Joe Biden’s or George Washington’s. He didn't have an executive branch. He didn't have a White House. He didn't even have the power to enforce laws.
Basically, he was the guy who presided over the meetings. He was more like a modern-day Speaker of the House mixed with a very busy secretary. He handled the mail, signed the treaties, and "received" George Washington after Yorktown.
He hated it.
No, seriously. Within a week of being elected, Hanson tried to quit. He was in poor health, his family needed him, and he found the endless ceremonies and paperwork "irksome." But Congress told him he couldn't leave because they wouldn't be able to find a replacement easily. So, out of a sense of duty, he stuck it out for exactly one year.
What He Actually Did in Office
Even though the job was mostly ceremonial, Hanson wasn't just sitting around. During his one-year term, he helped move the needle on some big things:
- He oversaw the creation of the first Treasury Department.
- He helped establish the first Secretary of War.
- He signed the treaty with Holland for a much-needed loan.
- He officially adopted the Great Seal of the United States.
- He even declared the first national Day of Thanksgiving (though it wasn't on a fixed Thursday back then).
The "First" Debate: Hanson vs. Washington
So, why do some people insist on the title "John Hanson the first president of the United States"?
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It comes down to technicalities. If you define "The United States" as the government created by the Articles of Confederation, then yes, Hanson was the first elected president to serve a full term under that document. There were guys before him, like Samuel Huntington, but they were technically presiding over a "Continental Congress" that hadn't fully ratified its governing documents yet.
But if you define "President" as the head of the executive branch with the powers we recognize today—veto power, Commander-in-Chief status, the whole nine yards—then it’s Washington all the way.
Clearing Up the "Black President" Myth
If you spend any time on the weirder corners of the internet, you might see a photo of a Black man labeled as John Hanson, claiming he was the real first president.
Let's set the record straight: that’s a different John Hanson.
The man in the photo is usually a 19th-century Liberian senator who lived much later. The John Hanson who served in 1781 was a white man of English descent. It’s one of those internet myths that just won't die, but it’s 100% false.
Why We Forgot Him
Hanson died in 1783, just a year after leaving office. He never saw the Constitution. He never saw the presidency become the most powerful office in the world.
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The Articles of Confederation were, to be blunt, a bit of a disaster. They were too weak. The country almost fell apart under them. When the "new and improved" government started in 1789 with Washington, everyone kinda wanted to forget the messy "Beta version" of America. Hanson got buried in the footnotes of history.
But he deserves better.
He was an "indispensable Founder," as his biographer Peter Hanson Michael puts it. Without Hanson’s political maneuvering to get the Articles signed, there might not have been a United States for Washington to lead. He was the guy who kept the lights on when the room was still being built.
How to Explore the History Yourself
If you're ever in Frederick, Maryland, you can visit the site of his house. It's now part of a business block, but there's a plaque. You can also see his statue in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall. Maryland sent it there in 1903 because they weren't about to let the world forget their favorite son.
Next Steps for the History Buff:
- Check out the U.S. Capitol’s website to see the digital gallery of the John Hanson statue and read the official Architect of the Capitol’s bio on him.
- Read "Remembering John Hanson" by Peter Hanson Michael if you want the deep-dive narrative of his life and his role in the Revolution.
- Visit the Maryland State Archives online to look at the original documents he signed; it’s a trip to see "John Hanson, President" at the bottom of 240-year-old papers.
- Compare the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution to see exactly why Hanson’s job was so different from the one Washington took on eight years later.
Understanding John Hanson doesn't take anything away from George Washington. It just gives you a more honest look at how fragile this country used to be. It took more than one "first" president to get us where we are today.