A central figure of the Revolutionary War and early United States nationhood, John Hanson served as the first president of the United States In Congress Assembled, the nation's original government chartered under the Articles of Confederation. His friend and political ally George Washington reported to President Hanson and later served as the first president of the nation's second government under the Constitution.

Both men were first presidents of their respective governments but, with his administration preceding Washington’s, John Hanson was the nation's authentic first president, which is just how Hanson, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and other presidents up into the twentieth century have stated it. The historical fact that Hanson was the nation’s actual first president has faded in the nation’s memory and requires re-illumination today.

Until a few generations ago, Maryland's John Hanson still shone brightly in the nation's memory. Now, the John Hanson Memorial Association, the United States Congress, the Maryland General Assembly, Hanson family descendants and a growing number of organizations and individuals are reawakening the public's memory of this major but now often overlooked figure among the nation's founders.

Click on the links above to learn more of this indispensable but nearly forgotten Founding Father.