First US President?

Question

George Washington was the first president of the United States. But George Washington sent a letter after the victory at Yorktown addressed to the "President of the United States." Who was this man whose formal title was "President of the United States in Congress Assembled" that Washington sent the letter to?

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Answer 1

John Hanson was the first American President and the heir of one of the greatest family traditions in the colonies and became the patriarch of a long line of American patriots – his great-grandfather died at Lutzen beside the great King Gustavus Aldophus of Sweden; his grandfather was one of the founders of New Sweden along the Delaware River in Maryland; one of his nephews was the military secretary to George Washington; another was a signer of the Declaration; still another was a signer of the Constitution; yet another was Governor of Maryland during the Revolution; and still another was a member of the first Congress; two sons were killed in action with the Continental Army; a grandson served as a member of Congress under the new Constitution; and another grandson was a Maryland Senator. Thus, even if Hanson had not served as President himself, he would have greatly contributed to the life of the nation through his ancestry and progeny.

As a youngster he began a self-guided reading of classics and rather quickly became an acknowledged expert in the juridicalism of Anselm and the practical philosophy of Seneca – both of which were influential in the development of the political philosophy of the great leaders of the Reformation. It was based upon these legal and theological studies that the young planter – his farm, Mulberry Grove was just across the Potomac from Mount Vernon – began to espouse the cause of the patriots.

In 1775 he was elected to the Provincial Legislature of Maryland. Then in 1777, he became a member of Congress where he distinguished himself as a brilliant administrator. Thus, he was elected President in 1781. Was John Hanson the first President of the United States?

The new country was actually formed on March 1, 1781 with the adoption of The Articles of Confederation. This document was actually proposed on June 11, 1776, but not agreed upon by Congress until November 15, 1777. Maryland refused to sign this document until Virginia and New York ceded their western lands (Maryland was afraid that these states would gain too much power in the new government from such large amounts of land). Once the signing took place in 1781, a President was needed to run the country. John Hanson was chosen unanimously by Congress (which included George Washington). In fact, all the other potential candidates refused to run against him, as he was a major player in the Revolution and an extremely influential member of Congress.

As the first President, Hanson had quite the shoes to fill. No one had ever been President and the role was poorly defined. His actions in office would set precedent for all future Presidents. He took office just as the Revolutionary War ended. Almost immediately, the troops demanded to be paid. As would be expected after any long war, there were no funds to meet the salaries. As a result, the soldiers threatened to overthrow the new government and put Washington on the throne as a monarch. All the members of Congress ran for their lives, leaving Hanson running the government. He somehow managed to calm the troops and hold the country together. If he had failed, the government would have fallen almost immediately and everyone would have been bowing to King Washington.

Hanson, as President, ordered all foreign troops off American soil, as well as the removal of all foreign flags. This was quite a feat, considering the fact that so many European countries had a stake in the United States since the days following Columbus. Hanson established the Great Seal of the United States, which all Presidents have since been required to use on all official documents. President Hanson also established the first Treasury Department, the first Secretary of War, and the first Foreign Affairs Department. Lastly, he declared that the fourth Thursday of every November was to be Thanksgiving Day, which is still true today.

The Articles of Confederation only allowed a President to serve a one-year term during any three-year period, so Hanson actually accomplished quite a bit in such little time. He served in that office from November 5, 1781 until November 3, 1782. He was the first President to serve a full term after the full ratification of the Articles of Confederation – and like so many of the Southern and New England Founders, he was strongly opposed to the Constitution when it was first discussed. He remained a confirmed anti-federalist until his untimely death.

Six other presidents were elected after him - Elias Boudinot (1783), Thomas Mifflin (1784), Richard Henry Lee (1785), Nathan Gorman (1786), Arthur St. Clair (1787), and Cyrus Griffin (1788) - all prior to Washington taking office. Why don't we ever hear about the first seven Presidents of the United States? It's quite simple - The Articles of Confederation didn't work well. The individual states had too much power and nothing could be agreed upon. A new doctrine needed to be written - something we know as the Constitution.

George Washington was definitely not the first President of the United States. He was the first President of the United States under the Constitution we follow today. And the first seven Presidents are forgotten in history.


God Bless You and the Southern People.

Answer 2

The First President of the United States of America was John Hanson. His official title was "President of the United States in Congress Assembled" .

The Continental Congress operated from 1774-1789 and had Sixteen Presidents. John Hanson was the ninth of these presidents, but he was the first to serve under the Articles of Confederation which united the Thirteen original Colonies. He was the First to use the official title "President of the United States.

The Presidents after John Hanson were, Elias Boudinot, Thomas Mifflin, Richard Henry Lee, John Hancock, Nathaniel Gorham, Arthur St. Clair, and Cyrus Griffin.

Arthur St. Clair was "President of the United States" at the time of the Siege of Yorktown, October 20th 1781.

In 1789 the Constitution was established and George Washington was elected the First president under that document, but was the ninth man to hold that title.

In 1783 when George Washington resigned as commander in chief of the Continental Army he handed his resignation to President Thomas Mifflin

Answer 3

He'd have been addressing the President of the Continental Congress, there were 4 Presidential Terms (3 different people) who held the office prior to the declaration of independance ...

Peyton Randolph, Va. sworn in 9/5/1774
Henry Middleton, S.C. sworn in 10/22/1774
Peyton Randolph, Va. sworn in 5/10/1775
John Hancock, Mass sworn in 5/24/1776

And the office existed until the 2nd decade of the 1800s.

At the time of the battle of Yorktown the President was Thomas McKean,
Link to all Presidents of the continental congress is in the sources below.

Answer 4

1. You must be at least 35 years old. 2. You must have legal citizenship in the Us and documents to prove so like social security and birth certificate. 3. You have had to live hear about 14 consequitive years. 4. You need a clean record, no felonies. 5. You must make a campaign plan with your strategies to gain support. 6. You must set up a campaign website. 7. You must register to be on the ballot. 8. You must get all your plans in order and release to the media your plans you will try to bring in affect to help the nations and get supporters. 9. Accept millions of dollars in donations to support you and gain wealth (easy). 9 1/2. Advertise 10. Debate 11. Win or Lose 12. At the end of the day you are okay and have supporters, you have plenty of money, fame, and no stress.

Answer 5

b_plenge has it right. The president Washington would have written to was Thomas McKean. He was "President of the United States in Congress Assembled."

Answer 6

John Hancock was the president of the Continental Congress, which was the first national body of the US of A

Answer 7

Arthur St. Clair

Answer 8

All I No It Was George Washington.

Answer 9

George washinton was the first us president.

Answer 10

i agree with b_plenge.