Fox Nation Series Casts John Hanson as First U.S. President in 1781, Not Washington
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 30
Fox Nation Series Casts John Hanson as First U.S. President in 1781, Not Washington
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 30
Summary
A new Fox Nation episode and Peter Michael’s book argue John Hanson became the first U.S. president on Nov. 5, 1781, when Continental Congress delegates elected him under the Articles of Confederation.
Michael says Hanson, not George Washington, first led a functioning national government, appointing officials including a secretary of war, secretary of foreign affairs and postmaster general during his one-year term.
The argument points to actions taken under Hanson, including sending Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John Jay and Henry Laurens to Paris in 1782 and creating the first national bank, census and U.S. coinage.
Hanson’s backers also cite his March 19, 1782 Thanksgiving proclamation, framing him as a largely overlooked head of state whose role predates Washington’s presidency under the Constitution.