While there were presidents before George Washington, they presided over a different United States, so to say. So as we know, the United States declared independence in 1776. The Revolutionary War ended in 1783, and George Washington was elected in 1789. So we can see why during the most early years, right after the declaration of independence, there was no need to have a formalized president. We were in the middle of the war, and we had adequate military leadership. But as the war was nearing an end, there was a push for a more central leader.
And here John Hanson steps onto the stage. The year was 1781, and two things occurred. First, the adoption of the Articles of Confederation were passed. It was the first constitution of the United States, but it only provided a very weak central government. In 1787, there was a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. There the delegates were authorized to amend the articles, but in secret closed door meetings, a new Constitution was drawn up. It was that Constitution that gave the central government more power. It would be this second constitution that George Washington would be elected under.
The second important thing in 1781 though was the election of John Hanson as President of the Continental Congress, or as it was also called, President of the United States in Congress assembled. Now, the Articles of Confederation did not have an executive branch. And the President was more of a ceremonial title. But he was required to do a few things such as be a neutral moderator for discussions, sign documents and respond to correspondence.
Hanson would only served a 1 year term; however, that is because that was that the Articles stipulated. Now, part of the problem with his presidency though was that the Articles didn’t really define the office. This is what it has to say about the position: “The United States in Congress assembled shall have authority … to appoint one of their members to preside, provided that no person be allowed to serve in the office of president more than one year in any term of three years.”
However, in a book by Edward Cody Burnett, titled the Continental Congress, he makes the argument that others had previously held the office. First it was Samual Huntington, who was basically grandfathered in. He was already presiding over the Continental Congress, and when the Articles went into effect, he just remained. He would later be elected to the office, but he declined the position. Thomas McKean was then elected, but served only a few months, resigning when the British surrendered at Yorktown. A new session of Congress was then held, and it was there that Hanson was elected.
A quick note. Alfred Knopf wrote a book titled The New Nation: A History of the United States During the Confederation 1781-1789. He points out an interesting character by the name of Robert Morris. Through 1776-1777, he had conducted a lot of the Congress’s transactions, and in 1781, he was asked to serve as Financier, a position that had recently been created. He was reluctant to take the office, but Congress enticed him by giving him quite a bit of power. He was able to make all of his own appointments, with no say from Congress. Anyone in the government who handled money only served if he wanted them to. He could borrow money from any foreign country, and import and export goods, all on the country’s tab. He ran his own foreign affairs department, and could offer contracts to supply the army, without any say from Congress. He would then take over the Marine Department as well.
He actually backed governmental notes, with his own personal credit, which gave confidence back to money backed by the government. He was really the first executive officer of the United States, even though he wasn’t granted power from a constitution, but from Congress itself.
When we get down to it though, those presidents under the Articles of Confederation (12 individuals including Hanson) basically served as interim presidents. They didn’t run the country. They didn’t warrant blame or praise for what happened. They served as president, but in a much different fashion than George Washington and those who followed.
