John Hanson
John Hanson (
April 3,
1715 –
November 22,
1783) was a delegate to the
Continental Congress from
Maryland. Because he was the first man to serve a full term as
President of the Continental Congress under the
Articles of Confederation in
1781 and
1782, he has been called the first
President of the United States; though this claim is inaccurate. See
Hanson as first President below for more information.
Hanson is one of the most enigmatic figures in
US history. He is frequently mentioned in connection with the claim that he was the first President, but fewer facts are clear about his life and accomplishments than is the case with most of his contemporaries. One of the difficulties this caused was that several writers in the
19th century filled in the blanks with fiction. This article presents only those aspects of the man and his character that are either clearly documented or almost universally agreed upon. For various reasons, Hanson has been the subject of a large number of
misconceptions or misrepresentations.
John was the third generation of his family in Maryland. Named after his grandfather John, who came from
England, he was born near
Port Tobacco in
Charles County, Maryland. John's parents were Samuel (1684-1740) and Elizabeth Story Hanson (1689-1764) who owned a farm there. John had no extended formal education while growing up in Maryland, but he read broadly in both English and Latin. He followed the family tradition as a planter, extending and improving his holdings.
In
1744 he married Jane Contee (born 1728) in
Annapolis. They would remain together until his death, and had a large family. Jane survived her husband, dying on March 21, 1812 in
Frederick County. Their children included:
*Catherine (1744-1767) married Philip Alexander.
*Jane (1747-1781) married Dr. Philip Thomas and moved to Frederick County.
*Peter (1748-1776) enlisted in the
Continental Army. In November of 1776 he was stationed at
Fort Washington; killed in action while defending
Fort Washington.
*Alexander (1749-1806), known as Alexander Contee Hanson, Sr., became a lawyer and a judge. His son,
Alexander Contee Hanson became a US
Senator.
*The twins, John and Elizabeth (1751-1753), died as infants.
*Grace (1762-1763) died as an infant.
*A second John (1753-1760) died in childhood.
*Samuel (1756-1781), known as Dr. Samuel Harrison Hanson, became a physician.
John died at his nephew's plantation at Oxon Hill in
Prince George's County, Maryland on
November 22,
1783. He is buried in a private family graveyard there.
John Hanson was first elected to represent Charles County in the colonial assembly in
1757. He also served as their representative in 1758-1763, 1765, 1766, 1768-1769. At various times he held several positions in local government, including that of treasurer of
Frederick County.
When the colonial assembly was dismissed or
prorogued in
1774, Hanson became a representative in the
Annapolis Convention which replaced it as a revolutionary government. Over the next several sessions of that assembly, he gained a reputation as an outspoken supporter of moves towards revolution. His speeches contributed to Maryland's decision to support rebels engaged in the
Siege of Boston.
In December of
1779, the Maryland House of Delegates named John Hanson as one of its delegates to the
Continental Congress. He began those duties when he took his seat in
Philadelphia on
June 14,
1780, serving until
1782. While Hanson was in Congress, the
Articles of Confederation were at last ratified by all the states. When the Congress received notice of this on March 1,
1781, he joined
Daniel Carroll in endorsing them for Maryland.
Before the adoption of the
Constitution in
1787, the colonies operated under the direction of the Continental Congress, although they remained in principle a
confederation of independent states. Even after the adoption of the
Articles of Confederation, there was no executive branch. As such the
President of the Continental Congress, which was a position similar to a
Prime Minister, was the highest authority; under the Articles, the position adopted the title
President of the United States in Congress Assembled, and Hanson was the first presiding officer of the Congress to use that title when dealing with foreign governments, diplomats, or treaties. Congress had little authority beyond those powers, which had been specifically delegated to it by the states, and its weakness during this period led directly to a decline in influence and the
1787 Constitution, with a more robust federal model.
Hanson's term as President of Congress, during this critical formation period, did have longstanding influence.
Among the accomplishments of Hanson's presidency of Congress:
* Delivered the official Thanks of Congress to George Washington for his victory at
Yorktown* Commended
Gen. Lafayette and thanked
France for his services
* Pressed states to keep up their commitments to sending delegates to Congress, which was often short of a
quorum* Passed legislation for the
Bank of North America, the first central bank
* Appointed a Secretary of the United States to assist in correspondence and record-keeping
* Granted Gen. Washington broad powers to negotiate prisoner exchanges with
Britain; Washington immediately worked out a trade of Gen.
Cornwallis for
Henry Laurens, the first president of the
Continental Congress* Established the
United States Mint* Established the predecessor agency of the
State Department* Proclaimed the first national
Thanksgiving holiday
* Created the position of Chairman of Congress, a predecessor of the
vice-presidency* Negotiated a peace treaty with Britain
* Settled a dispute between
Connecticut and
Pennsylvania, with Hanson acting as an equivalent of
Chief Justice* Called for the first national
census"First President" myth
A popular
urban legend or
bar bet suggests that Hanson was the "first President" of the United States.
The origin of the claim that Hanson is the "forgotten" first President stems from a
1932 book by Seymour Wemyss Smith titled
John Hanson - Our First President. Nevertheless, officially Hanson was the third presiding officer of the Congress of the United States, and he considered himself a successor to the first two men to hold the office,
Samuel Huntington and
Thomas McKean. He was the first to serve a full one-year term, and the first to formally use the title
President of the United States in Congress Assembled.
Article 13, Section 401 of the Annotated Code of Maryland specifies that: "the Governor annually shall proclaim
April 13 as John Hanson's birthday and dedicate that day to the statesman." Also, the
John Hanson Highway is named in his honor.
In 1903 the state of Maryland donated a bronze statue by
Richard E. Brooks to the
Capitol Building's National Statuary Hall Collection. It is currently located on the 2nd floor of the Senate connecting corridor.
[http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/hanson.cfm]Einstein's Refrigerator ISBN 0-740-71419-8 by Steve Silverman, pp. 101-104
Dictionary of American Biography Scribner's 1964 edition
*
Hanson's Congressional Biography*
Hanson at Snopes.com
