John Hanson is often cited in historical trivia and internet lore as the first President of the United States, a claim that challenges the universally accepted status of George Washington. While Hanson held a critically important leadership role during the nation’s formative years, the title "first President" requires significant historical context to be understood accurately. On the flip side, he was not the first President of the United States under the Constitution; rather, he was the first person to serve a full one-year term as President of the Continental Congress (later styled "President of the United States in Congress Assembled") after the Articles of Confederation were fully ratified in 1781. Understanding this distinction is essential for a complete picture of American federalism’s difficult birth.
The Road to Ratification and the Presidency of Congress
Before examining Hanson’s specific tenure, it is necessary to understand the governmental structure that existed between 1781 and 1789. The Articles of Confederation, the nation’s first constitution, created a loose "league of friendship" among the thirteen sovereign states. There was no executive branch, no federal judiciary, and no single leader with the powers associated with the modern presidency And that's really what it comes down to..
Instead, the Continental Congress functioned as the sole federal body. It elected a presiding officer from among its delegates to moderate debates, manage correspondence, and sign official documents. This role was titled President of the Continental Congress. Prior to the Articles' ratification, several men held this position, including Peyton Randolph, Henry Laurens, and Samuel Huntington. Even so, the Articles were not fully ratified by all thirteen states until March 1, 1781 (with Maryland being the final holdout).
Samuel Huntington happened to be the presiding officer when Maryland finally signed. He continued serving until July 1781, when ill health forced his resignation. Worth adding: thomas McKean served briefly afterward. It was in November 1781 that John Hanson of Maryland was elected to the position. Because he was the first to serve a full, standard one-year term after the Articles legally became the law of the land, proponents of the "first President" theory anchor their claim on this specific technicality.
Who Was John Hanson?
John Hanson was born in 1721 (some sources say 1715) in Charles County, Maryland, into a prominent planter family. Unlike many of his contemporaries who were lawyers or soldiers by trade, Hanson was a career politician and public servant. He served in the Maryland General Assembly for over two decades, gaining a reputation as a staunch patriot and a skilled legislative tactician Worth keeping that in mind..
He was a early and vocal opponent of British taxation policies, chairing the committee that drafted Maryland’s instructions to the Stamp Act Congress in 1765. That's why during the Revolutionary War, he was instrumental in organizing Maryland’s finances and troop contributions, serving as a delegate to the Continental Congress starting in 1780. His colleagues respected him for his administrative competence, patience, and ability to figure out the fractious politics of state delegations—qualities desperately needed in a presiding officer with no real executive authority But it adds up..
The Hanson Term: November 1781 – November 1782
Hanson’s single year in the chair coincided with the final military victory of the Revolution and the beginning of the perilous peace. Think about it: his term began just weeks after the Siege of Yorktown, where Cornwallis surrendered to Washington. While the fighting had effectively ended in North America, the war was not officially over, and the new nation faced existential crises: bankruptcy, mutinous unpaid soldiers, and diplomatic isolation Turns out it matters..
Establishing the First Federal Departments
One of Hanson’s most tangible achievements was overseeing the creation of the first executive departments to assist the powerless Congress. Under his presidency, Congress established the Department of Foreign Affairs (precursor to the State Department), the Department of War, the Department of Finance, and the Post Office Department.
Hanson worked closely with Robert Morris, the Superintendent of Finance, to stabilize the collapsing continental currency. He signed the legislation creating the Bank of North America, the nation’s first central bank, designed to restore public credit. These actions laid the administrative groundwork that the Constitutional Convention would later expand into the Cabinet system.
And yeah — that's actually more nuanced than it sounds.
The Peace Process and Diplomacy
Hanson presided over Congress during the delicate early negotiations of the Treaty of Paris (1783). While he did not negotiate the treaty himself (that fell to Adams, Franklin, and Jay in Paris), his Congress instructed the commissioners and eventually ratified the preliminary articles. He also managed the difficult diplomatic relationship with France and Spain, ensuring the alliance held together until formal peace was secured.
The Newburgh Conspiracy Threat
Perhaps the most dangerous moment of his presidency was the brewing Newburgh Conspiracy in early 1783 (though the climax occurred just after his term ended, the pressure built throughout 1782). Officers of the Continental Army, unpaid for years, threatened to march on Congress or abandon the cause. Hanson’s steady management of congressional correspondence and his support for Morris’s financial plans were critical in keeping the civilian government functioning long enough for Washington to personally defuse the mutiny Practical, not theoretical..
Western Lands and the Northwest Ordinance Seeds
Hanson’s Congress also grappled with competing state claims to western territories (lands west of the Appalachians). Maryland—Hanson’s own state—had refused to ratify the Articles for years specifically because states like Virginia and New York claimed vast western empires. Hanson helped broker the compromise where states ceded these claims to the federal government. This paved the way for the Land Ordinance of 1784 and the seminal Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which established the template for admitting new states as equals—a concept Hanson championed.
Why the "First President" Claim Persists (And Why Historians Reject It)
The argument for Hanson as "First President" usually rests on three pillars:
- Now, Full Term Post-Ratification: He was the first to serve a full annual term after the Articles were ratified by all 13 states. 2. Title Usage: The Articles formally styled the position "President of the United States in Congress Assembled.Because of that, "
- Executive Functions: He performed ceremonial duties (receiving ambassadors, signing treaties) and administrative oversight that resemble presidential acts.
Even so, professional historians and constitutional scholars categorically distinguish the Presidency of Congress from the Presidency of the United States established by Article II of the Constitution in 1789. The differences are structural and profound:
- No Executive Power: Hanson could not veto legislation, command the military, appoint judges, or enforce laws. He was a presiding officer of the legislature, not a separate executive branch.
- One-Year Term Limit: The Articles limited the president to one year in any three-year period. The office was designed to rotate, preventing the accumulation of power.
- Subservience to Congress: The President of Congress was an employee of the body, elected by delegates and removable by them. He had no independent mandate from the people.
- Lack of Continuity: There were 14 men who served as President of the Continental Congress (under the Articles and before) between 1774 and 1789. If Hanson is "First," then Samuel Huntington (presiding at ratification) or Peyton Randolph (first presiding officer in 1774) have equally valid claims.
George Washington was the first person to hold the specific office created by the U.S. Constitution: President of the United States, head of the Executive Branch, Commander-in-Chief, elected via
...elected via an electoral college system designed to create a distinct, four-year mandate independent of congressional control. This structural revolution—separating the chief executive from the legislature, granting veto power, and establishing a stable succession framework—
