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When we think of the President of the UnitedStates, many people do not realize that we areactually referring to presidents elected under theU.S. Constitution. Everybody knows that the firstpresident in that sense was George Washington.But in fact the Articles of Confederation, thepredecessor to the Constitution, also called for apresident- albeit one with greatly diminishedpowers. Eight men were appointed to serve one yearterms as president under the Articles ofConfederation. In November 1781, JohnHanson became the first President of theUnited States in Congress Assembled, under theArticles of Confederation.

Many people have argued that John Hanson, and not George Washington, was thefirst President of the United States, but this is not quite true. Under the Articles ofConfederation, the United States had no executive branch. The President of Congresswas a ceremonial position within the Confederation Congress. Although the officerequired Hanson to deal with correspondence and sign official documents, it wasn't thesort of work that any President of the United States under the Constitution would havedone.

Hanson didn't really enjoy his job either, and found the work tedious and wished toresign. Unfortunately, the Articles of Confederation hadn't accounted for howsuccession worked and his departure would have left Congress without a President. So,because he loved his country, and out of a sense of duty, he remained in office.

While there, he served from November 5, 1781 until November 3, 1782, he was able toremove all foreign troops from American lands, as well as theirflags. He also introduced the Treasury Department, the firstSecretary of War, and the first Foreign Affairs Department. Heled the flight to guarantee the statehood of the WesternTerritories beyond the Appalachian Mountains that had beencontrolled by some of the original thirteen colonies.

What's probably most interesting is that Hanson is alsoresponsible for establishing Thanksgiving Day as the fourthThursday in November.

It was no easy task to be the first person in this position asPresident of Congress. So it's incredible that Hanson was able toaccomplish as much as he did. Plus, instead of the four year termthat current Presidents serve, Presidents under the Articles ofConfederation served only one year. So, accomplishing anythingduring this short time was a great feat.

Hanson played an important role in the development of UnitedStates Constitutional History, one often not stated, but true nonetheless. Often, Hansonis regarded as the "forgotten first President." In Seymour Weyss Smith's biographyof him, John Hanson, Our First President, he says that the American Revolution hadtwo primary leaders: George Washington in the military sphere, and John Hanson inpolitics. Although one position was ceremonial, and the other was more official, thereare statues of both men in the United States Capitol in Washington D.C.

Hanson died on November 15, 1783 at the age of 62.

"Thus was ended the career of one of America's greatest statesmen. While hithertopractically unknown to our people, and this is true as to nearly all the generations thathave lived since his day, his great handiwork, the nation which he helped to establish,remains as a fitting tribute to his memory. It is doubtful if there has ever lived on thisside of the Atlantic, a nobler character or shrewder statesman. One would search in vainto find a more powerful personage, or a more aggressive leader, in the annals ofAmerican history. and it is extremely doubtful if there has ever lived in an age since theadvent of civilization, a man with a keener grasp of, or a deeper insight into, suchdemocratic ideals as are essential to the promotion of personal liberty and the extensionof human happiness. ... He was firm in his opinion that the people of America were capableof ruling themselves without the aid of a king."

-JACOB A. NELSON, "JOHN HANSON AND THE INSEPARABLE UNION," PUBLISHED IN 1939

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