Was John Hanson the first President of the United States? The truth is more nuanced.

Wars & Conflicts · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: John Hanson is frequently celebrated as the forgotten first president of the United States, a title popularized by amateur biographers and persistent internet myths. While he did serve as the President of the Confederation Congress, the reality of his role and the origins of his fame reveal a complex historical legacy.

John Hanson was a Maryland merchant and politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as President of the Confederation Congress, beginning his one-year term in November 1781. Under the Articles of Confederation, this position was primarily ceremonial and clerical, involving duties like moderating discussions and signing official documents. Hanson was not the first to hold this office; Samuel Huntington and Thomas McKean, among others, had preceded him. The executive office of the President of the United States, as established by the Constitution in 1789, is an entirely separate entity.

The narrative that Hanson was the first true president gained traction through late 19th and early 20th-century biographies, such as those by Douglas H. Thomas in 1898 and Seymour Wemyss Smith in 1932. Historians like Ralph Levering have noted that these works were not written by professional historians and lacked grounding in primary source research. Despite this, the myth influenced public honors, including the selection of Hanson to represent Maryland in the National Statuary Hall Collection in 1903. His statue remains a point of debate, with some scholars arguing he was not among Maryland's most significant revolutionary leaders.

Modern myths have further distorted Hanson's history, including an internet-fueled claim that he was a Black man, often supported by the misidentification of a photograph of a Liberian senator. While Hanson was a dedicated Patriot who organized troops and served as a financier for the revolution in western Maryland, the elevation of his status to 'first president' is widely regarded by historians as a historical hoax. Today, organizations like the John Hanson Memorial Association work to distinguish his genuine contributions from the layers of myth that have obscured his life.

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