John Hanson, not George Washington, served as the first president of the United States, according to a historian and descendant of Hanson.
Peter Michael, author of "Remembering John Hanson, A Biography of the First President of the Original United States Government," asserts that Hanson was the first head of state elected by the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation.
"There's no question about it. Chronologically, he certainly was," Michael stated. "For a nation to be a nation, it has to have a government and a head of state. So the first thing the newly seated government did was elect a head of state. And it was John Hanson."
Hanson was elected by delegates of the Continental Congress on November 5, 1781. Michael argues that Hanson inherited a "blank slate" and was tasked with building a functioning government. During his one-year term, Hanson appointed a cabinet, including a secretary of war, secretary of foreign affairs, and postmaster general. He also sent diplomats to Paris to negotiate the British surrender in the Revolutionary War.
Key initiatives established during Hanson's presidency include the first national bank, the first census, and the creation of U.S. coinage. Additionally, Hanson issued a proclamation establishing Thanksgiving on March 19, 1782.
Michael suggests that even George Washington acknowledged Hanson's position as the first president, citing statements made by Washington during and after his own presidency.
This perspective is explored in the Fox Nation series "Crazy American History with Eric Shawn."