The question of who served as the first president of the United States often triggers a surprising debate in history classrooms and trivia nights alike. This claim rests on Hanson’s role as the first delegate to serve a full one-year term as "President of the United States in Congress Assembled" after the Articles of Confederation were fully ratified in 1781. While every schoolchild learns that George Washington was the inaugural chief executive under the current Constitution, a persistent historical narrative champions John Hanson as the true first president. Understanding the distinction between these two offices—and the man who held the earlier title—requires a closer look at the fragile, formative years of the American republic Worth keeping that in mind..
Not obvious, but once you see it — you'll see it everywhere.
The Context: A Nation Without a King
To understand John Hanson’s position, one must first appreciate the governmental vacuum that existed between the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the ratification of the U.Plus, s. It had no executive branch, no federal judiciary, and no power to tax. Because of that, during this critical period, the Second Continental Congress functioned as the de facto national government. Practically speaking, constitution in 1789. It operated under the Articles of Confederation, a document that created a "firm league of friendship" among sovereign states rather than a centralized nation.
The Articles were proposed in 1777 but languished for years due to disputes over western land claims. Maryland, where Hanson was a prominent political figure, was the final holdout. It refused to ratify until larger states like Virginia and New York ceded their western land claims to the central government. When Maryland finally signed on March 1, 1781, the Articles officially became the law of the land. The existing Congress, which had been operating provisionally, now possessed full constitutional authority under the Articles.
Who Was John Hanson?
Born in 1721 (or 1715, sources vary) in Charles County, Maryland, John Hanson was a product of the colonial elite. He was a merchant, a planter, and a long-serving public servant. Before his national role, he distinguished himself in the Maryland Assembly, where he gained a reputation for fiscal responsibility and staunch opposition to British taxation policies. He was instrumental in moving Maryland toward revolution, helping to organize the colony’s defenses and finances It's one of those things that adds up. Worth knowing..
Honestly, this part trips people up more than it should.
By the time the Articles were ratified, Hanson was a seasoned legislator in his sixties. Still, he was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1780. His colleagues respected him for his administrative competence, his calm demeanor, and his ability to figure out the fractious politics of state delegations. These traits made him a natural choice for the presiding officer role when the new Confederation Congress convened Worth keeping that in mind..
The Election of November 1781
On November 5, 1781, the Confederation Congress elected John Hanson as its president. Previous presiding officers—such as Samuel Huntington and Thomas McKean—had served under the provisional continuation of the Continental Congress. Because of that, he was the first man to hold the title President of the United States in Congress Assembled after the Articles were fully ratified. Hanson, therefore, holds the distinction of being the first to serve a full, one-year term under the ratified Articles of Confederation.
It is crucial to define what this presidency entailed. The office was not an executive position. Hanson was not a commander-in-chief, he did not veto legislation, he did not appoint a cabinet, and he did not conduct foreign policy independently. He was a presiding officer—a parliamentary role similar to the Speaker of the House or the President of the Senate today.
- Moderating debate and maintaining order during sessions.
- Signing official documents and correspondence on behalf of Congress.
- Managing the flow of business and committee appointments.
- Serving as the ceremonial head of the federal government during congressional recesses.
Hanson took the role seriously. He reportedly worked long hours, often staying at his desk late into the night processing correspondence and managing the rudimentary bureaucracy of the new nation. He established the first "Great Seal of the United States" office, oversaw the creation of the first Treasury Department (led by Robert Morris), and helped organize the Post Office Department.
Achievements and Challenges During His Term
Hanson’s single year in the chair (November 1781 – November 1782) coincided with the final military victory of the Revolution and the beginning of the peacetime crisis. The surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown had occurred just weeks before his election, but the war was not officially over. British troops still occupied New York, Charleston, and Savannah And that's really what it comes down to..
Key events during his presidency included:
- The Establishment of Executive Departments: While Congress created the departments of Foreign Affairs, War, Marine, and Finance, Hanson played a vital role in staffing them and defining their initial operations. He worked closely with Robert Morris, the Superintendent of Finance, to stabilize the collapsing continental currency.
- The Newburgh Conspiracy (Prelude): Though the famous officer mutiny at Newburgh, New York, peaked in 1783, the discontent over unpaid wages and pensions festered during Hanson’s term. His correspondence reveals a deep anxiety about the army’s loyalty and the government’s inability to pay its debts.
- Diplomatic Recognition: Hanson presided over Congress as it received news of Dutch recognition of American independence and negotiated loans from France and the Netherlands.
- Western Land Policy: He oversaw the early debates that would eventually lead to the Land Ordinance of 1784 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, setting the precedent for territorial expansion and the prohibition of slavery in new territories north of the Ohio River.
Hanson’s health, never solid, deteriorated under the strain. So naturally, the position offered no salary, only a modest expense account, and the workload was crushing. He declined to seek a second term, retiring to private life in Maryland, where he died in November 1783, just as the Treaty of Paris was being finalized Not complicated — just consistent..
The "First President" Controversy: Semantics vs. Substance
The argument for John Hanson as the "first president" relies entirely on a technical reading of the Articles of Confederation. Article Nine states: *"The United States in Congress assembled shall have authority to appoint one of their number to preside... and shall not allow him to serve more than one year in any term of three years Surprisingly effective..
Proponents of the Hanson claim argue that because the Articles were the first constitution of the United States, the first presiding officer under that document deserves the title "First President of the United States." This view is often promoted by historical societies in Maryland and by those seeking to highlight the contributions of the "forgotten founders" of the Confederation period.
On the flip side, historians and political scientists overwhelmingly reject this equivalence for several structural reasons:
- Legislative vs. Executive: The President under the Articles was a creature of Congress, elected by Congress, and removable by Congress. He had zero independent executive authority. George Washington, under Article II of the 1787 Constitution, headed a separate, co-equal branch of government with defined powers (commander-in-chief, treaty power, appointment power, veto).
- Continuity of Government: The United States as a continuous legal entity traces its sovereignty to the Constitution of 1787, not the Articles. The Preamble ("We the People... do ordain and establish this Constitution") created a new frame of government. The Confederation was a league of states; the Constitution created a nation.
- Precedent: There were presidents of the Continental Congress before the Articles were ratified. Peyton Randolph served as the first president of the First Continental Congress in 1774. If one counts presiding officers of the national legislature as "Presidents of the United States," the list begins with Randolph,
If one counts presiding officers of the national legislature as “Presidents of the United States,” the list begins with Randolph, followed by John Hancock, Nathaniel Gorham, and a handful of others who rotated the presidency of Congress through the 1780s. So naturally, each of these men held a largely ceremonial role, presiding over debates, managing correspondence, and ensuring that congressional business proceeded smoothly. Even so, their authority was strictly limited to procedural matters; they could not issue executive orders, command the military, or negotiate treaties on their own initiative. In practice, the real power resided with the Congress itself, which could appoint and remove the president at will.
The structural contrast between the Confederation presidency and the office created in 1787 is stark. Under the Articles of Confederation, the “President of the United States in Congress Assembled” was essentially a senior clerk, elected by a unanimous vote of Congress and subject to immediate replacement. The 1787 Constitution, by contrast, established a distinct executive branch, with a president who is independently elected (originally by electors), serves a fixed four‑year term, and wields enumerated powers such as commander‑in‑chief of the armed forces, negotiator of treaties, and chief administrator of the federal government. This separation of powers is a cornerstone of the American system and distinguishes Washington’s role from that of any earlier presiding officer Simple as that..
The debate over the “first president” persists largely because it taps into broader narratives about national identity and the recognition of overlooked contributors. Day to day, state historical societies in Maryland, for instance, promote John Hanson as a symbol of early Maryland leadership and a reminder that the nation’s founding story is more complex than the familiar New England and Virginia pantheon. While these efforts enrich public memory, most scholars argue that the title “President of the United States” should be reserved for the office defined by the Constitution, not for a functional title that existed under a fundamentally different governmental framework Which is the point..
In sum, the controversy hinges on semantics versus substance. George Washington’s unanimous election in 1789, his assumption of a co‑equal branch of government, and his role in shaping the executive office cement his status as the nation’s first president under the constitutional order. The Articles of Confederation produced a series of presiding officers who were precursors in name only; they lacked the independent authority, democratic legitimacy, and institutional permanence that define the modern presidency. The “first president” debate, therefore, serves less as a claim about who held the title first and more as a lens through which Americans examine the evolution of their government—from a loose confederation of states to a unified nation with a reliable executive branch.
