[kind of off-topic] First President

Jason Filley jfilley@primary.net
Tue, 02 Feb 1999 23:57:27 -0600 (00918043047, 36B7E547.5921E719@primary.net) 


> CARTER

> >If I were as skeptical as some here, I would doubt whether Washington was

> the first president, or that the Constitution was really written by the

> founding fathers, or that Shakespeare really existed.

> 

> BACH

> Horse hockey! Who?  Name one. <snip>


JASON
Me, for one (about Washington being the first president).

================================================
I'm in a hurry, so I'll just post this from
http://www.thegrid.net/fern.canyon/weird/sample.htm (and also note the
reference to Missouri Senator, and President for a day, David Rice
Atchison):

"Some historians consider John Hanson to be the first President of the
United States. He was the first to hold that title. Actually, his full
title was "President of the United States in Congress Assembled."
Shortly before the Revolution began, the Continental Congress was
formed. The Continental Congress operated from 1774 to 1789 and had
sixteen presidents. While John Hanson was the ninth of these presidents,
he was the first to serve under the Articles of Confederation which
united the thirteen states and he was the first to be called President
of the United States. Even General George Washington referred to him by
this title. However, Congress still retained full executive power.
Hanson presided over the Congress and so could be considered the head of
the government, but not the head of state. The presidents after Hanson
were Elias Boudinot, Thomas Mifflin, Richard Henry Lee, John Hancock,
Nathaniel Gorham, Arthur St. Clair, and Cyrus Griffin. In 1789, the
Constitution established the Congress as we know it and George
Washington became president. But back in 1783 when George Washington
appeared in the Continental Congress to resign as Commander in Chief of
the Continental Army, he handed his resignation to President Thomas
Mifflin."

================================================
And from http://www.marshallhall.org/hanson.html :

"He [John Hanson] was 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."

Reference: Grant, George, "The Forgotten Presidents" (excerpted from
"The Patriot's Handbook").

================================================

Bathroom reading (The Book of Lists) pays off.

Regards,
Jason