It can feel mind blowing when basic facts we believed our entire lives turn out to be wrong. Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb, the Earth revolves around the sun and the first president of the USA was George Washington, right? Are you sure?
WHO WAS THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?
I’m sure that George Washington was your best guess. After all, no one else comes to mind.
But think back to your history books — The United States declared its independence in 1776, yet Washington did not take office until April 30, 1789. So who was running the country during these initial 13 years of the young country? It was the first eight U.S. Presidents. In fact, the first President of the United States was one John Hanson. (Well, perhaps, but see below.)
I can hear you now — John who?
John Hanson, the first President of the United States.
Don’t go checking the encyclopedia for this guy’s name — he is one of those great men that are lost to history. If you’re extremely lucky, you may actually find a brief mention of his name. (It’s in the Encyclopedia Britannica.)
The new nation was officially established on March 1, 1781, with the ratification of the Articles of Confederation. Although this document was proposed on June 11, 1776, it wasn’t approved by Congress until November 15, 1777.
After the signing in 1781, a President was required to lead the country. John Hanson was elected unanimously by Congress, which included notable figures like George Washington. Other potential candidates declined to run against him due to his significant role in the revolution and his influence within Congress.
As the inaugural President, Hanson faced the challenge of defining a role that had never existed before. His presidency would set important precedents for future leaders. He took office just as the Revolutionary War concluded, and one of his first challenges was addressing the soldiers’ demands for payment. With no funds available after the prolonged conflict, troops threatened to overthrow the government and install Washington as a monarch.
In a chaotic environment where members of Congress fled in fear, Hanson remained to manage the government. He successfully calmed the troops and maintained order, preventing an immediate collapse of the government that could have led to a monarchy under Washington.
During his presidency, Hanson ordered the expulsion of foreign troops from American territory and mandated the removal of foreign flags—a significant task given the interests various European nations had in America since Columbus’s time.
Hanson also established the Great Seal of the United States, which has since been used by all Presidents on official documents. He created the first Treasury Department, appointed the first Secretary of War, and formed the inaugural Foreign Affairs Department. Additionally, he proclaimed Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, a tradition that continues today.
Under the Articles of Confederation, a President could only serve one year within any three-year period, making Hanson’s accomplishments particularly noteworthy given his limited time in office.
Following Hanson, seven other Presidents were elected before George Washington took office: Elias Boudinot (1782-83), Thomas Mifflin (1783-84), Richard Henry Lee (1784-85), John Hancock (1785-86), Nathan Gorman (1786-87), Arthur St. Clair (1787-88), and Cyrus Griffin (1788-89).
So why are these early Presidents largely forgotten? The answer lies in the inefficacy of the Articles of Confederation. The states held too much power, leading to frequent disagreements and an urgent need for a new governing document—what we now know as the Constitution.
Ultimately, George Washington was not the first President of the United States; he was simply the first President under our current Constitution. The contributions of these initial eight Presidents have largely faded from historical memory.
Strange but true, the first President of the United States of America (under the Articles of Confederation) to serve a full year as President was John Hanson who served from November 5, 1781 to November 4, 1782.
… Hanson was actually the first holder of the office of president since he began serving following the first election for a full one-year presidential term once the Articles of Confederation was ratified in 1781. The Articles of Confederation stipulated that presidents of Congress serve one-year terms, and Hanson became the first to do so [2].
Hanson was responsible for establishing Thanksgiving Day. On October 11, 1782, he issued a proclamation setting aside the last Thursday in November as “a day of Solemn Thanksgiving to God for all His mercies…” and urging all Americans to celebrate progress in negotiations with Britain ending the Revolutionary War [11].
Looking more at the details, however, the title of First President of the United States depends on where you draw the line. What about Sameuel Johnston? He was the first elected by Congress in 1781, before John Hanson, but he declined to serve. Samuel Johnston was also elected to the First USCA Presidency but the following day declined the office [11].
On July 9, 1781, Congress elected Samuel Johnston of North Carolina as the first president following the ratification of the Articles of Confederation. However, Johnston declined the position, possibly to focus on his gubernatorial ambitions. Subsequently, Thomas McKean of Delaware was elected in his place but served for less than four months before resigning in October 1781. It wasn’t until the next session of Congress convened in November 1781 that John Hanson was elected as the first president to complete a full term in office.[10].
Perhaps, then, the title should go to Thomas McKean as the first President who was elected and actually served. He served from July 10, 1781 to November 5, 1781.
Then again, if you just look at presidents of what was called the “United States” after it declared independence from Great Britain, the famous John Hancock would rightly hold the title as the first US President. He served as 1st President of the U.S. Continental Congress from May 24, 1775 to October 29, 1777.
John Hancock
First President of the Continental Congress
United States of America
July 2, 1776 to October 29, 1777
There were different incarnations of the United States and the ones before the US Constitution also had Presidents. Before the Constitution were the Articles of Confederation. John Hancock was also a President under the Articles of Confederation, so even under that USA, he was a President of the USA before George Washington.
If you don’t count the declaration of independence, John Hancock was not even the first US President. The first President of the Continental Congress served from September 5, 1774 to October 22, 1774, long before John Hancock. Who was he? The little known Peyton Randolph[12], who died a year to the day after his last day in office as President while he was dining with Thomas Jefferson[13].
Fellow delegates elected Peyton Randolph as the president (Speaker) of both the First Continental Congress, which called for King George III to repeal the Coercive Acts, and the Second Continental Congress, which presented the Olive Branch Petition as a final effort for reconciliation. Unfortunately, Randolph fell ill during both terms. He passed away while dining with Thomas Jefferson in Philadelphia on October 22, 1775.
Jefferson frequently hosted dinner parties and gatherings with many notable figures of his time, including John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. One significant event in Jefferson’s life related to dining is the simultaneous deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson on July 4, 1826, which occurred hours apart but not during a meal together. This event is often highlighted due to its historical significance, as it marked the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Who was the first US president? The truth is nuanced. Sometimes the truth is very little known, sometimes so little known that it is not even believed, but still, it can be verified and a fact check will show it to be true.
Can you name something else like this that really surprised when you first learned it?
Read More
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_Confederation
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hanson
[3] https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/articles-of-confederation
[4] https://www.csus.edu/experience/retirees/publications/articles/remembering-john-hanson.html
[5] https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/intro-6-1/ALDE_00000002/%5B’article’,%20’2’%5D
[6] https://edsitement.neh.gov/curricula/who-was-really-our-first-president-lost-hero
[7] https://www.constitutionfacts.com/images/3-6JHStory/2Hansonstatue.jpg?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiSwL6XmsKKAxUpH0QIHbHIDlgQ_B16BAgEEAI
[8] https://www.constitutionfacts.com/content/articles/files/Articles_JohnHanson.pdf
[9] http://www.constitution.org/hist/first8pres.htm
[10] https://www.thoughtco.com/john-hanson-biography-4178170
[11] https://www.samueljohnston.org/
[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peyton_Randolph
[13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson
14 comments
How interesting, and how sad that the first 8 are not openly acknowledged for the work they did. My discovery is from this morning’s paper. Researchers have discovered that household dust motes piggyback toxic particles from air fresheners, detergents and other household stuff that then gets into our cells. Another good reason to use natural, non-toxic products.
The chemical air freshers bug me, but I do like (a particular company’s) oils in a diffuser for mood at times. Some of those essential oils also act against toxins.
I use (a particular company’s) oils exclusively. They are quality guaranteed, 100% pure therapeutic grade. Antifungal/bacterial/viral – amazing stuff. Best to use an ultrasound diffuser – it creates a cold ‘steam’ of microdroplets so the therapeutic action of the EO’s is retained.
What surprised me, though not as powerful as your story, was to learn that author Alexandre Dumas based his main character in the Count of Monte Cristo on Dumas’ own grandfather, who was an expert swordsmen and general in Napoleon’s Grand Armee. The Grandfather also was the son of a slave woman (in what is now Haiti) and a French nobleman. Tom Reiss writes about this in his book, The Black Count … .
That is interesting and adds to a fun read, but I’ve only read the abridged English serialization.
I posted a piece related to The Black Count. It’s the one called ‘A Story of a Library – Napoleon’s Institute of Egypt.’ I was impressed by the “learned men” Napoleon secretly added to his crew when he went to invade Egypt and that the outcome was a library!
I use (a particular company’s) oils exclusively. They are quality guaranteed, 100% pure therapeutic grade. Antifungal/bacterial/viral – amazing stuff. Best to use an ultrasound diffuser – it creates a cold ‘steam’ of microdroplets so the therapeutic action of the EO’s is retained.
This is a nice way to open a conversation with someone about being open minded, that they may not know everything there is to know.
This is fantastic! I will have new fodder for my next cocktail party!
But after American independence when America had gotten freedom, then first president was Washington.
We got independence in 1776, so it wasn’t Washington. He was years later.
“On this day in 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims the independence of a new United States of America from Great Britain and its king.”
The inauguration of George Washington as President of the United States was held on April 30, 1789 on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, New York”
May be u r right,dear.but we read about washington as first president in history book.
True. As a kid we trust text books and teachers and doctors and priests and parents and news to tell us the truth, but sometimes all of those sources are wrong about some things. Not always, but sometimes. Making discoveries is the fun of science.
If you learn you can trust you own research and logical thinking over what others say, you could do well in science. This is the kind of mind that gave us great inventions like electric lights, microscopes, antibiotics, and the Internet. Think independently, ask the right questions, do experiments and you will learn much. You could even save people’s lives.
The hard part about this type of thinking is that some people will not like you at times. They will call you a troublemaker, eccentric, a heathen, a truther, or a conspiracy theorist. Most people bend to peer pressure. They prefer to be accepted by “the herd” of other humans, to “fit in” over being correct.
If a dogmatic teacher, for example, wants you to write that 2 + 2 = 5 on a test or they will fail you from the class, but you know 2 + 2 = 4, what would you do?
Maybe complain to your parents or the principal, right? But what if everyone you try to talk to agrees with 2 + 2 = 5? Is that correct then? No, but you might humor them (not argue, but know you are right) to graduate. 😉
Thanks for the comments.
Absolutely right,dear!!