Were these men America’s real first presidents?
Every American knows george washingtonJohn Adams and Thomas Jefferson, what about John Hanson, Elias Boudinot and Thomas Mifflin?
Contrary to what most people think, some historians point out that the last three were the nation’s true first presidents.
Confused? Let’s go back to the revolutionary period.
The country’s War of Independence against Great Britain ended in 1781 after the king’s army surrendered at the Battle of Yorktown. George Washington was not elected president until 1789, following the formal ratification of the Constitution.
During these eight years, a number of other leaders took over the country.
They were known as the “presidents of the United States of America in Congress Assembled” and were elected by the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation, the first governing document of the United States.
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Marylander John Hanson became the first person elected to lead this body after all 13 colonies signed the Articles of Confederation in 1781.
So why was Washington the first president and not Hanson? Here’s a deeper look at history.
‘The first forgotten president’
Aspect The War of Independence escalatedMembers of the Continental Congress developed the Articles of Confederation as the basis for a weak central government. They feared that concentration of too much power at the federal level would lead to a tyrannical government similar to Great Britain.
This full-length portrait of George Washington was painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1797, the last year of his presidency.
The framework did not include an executive or judicial branch, and all authority was vested in the Continental Congress, later known as the Confederation Congress.
Hanson helped establish the Bank of North America, considered the nation’s first central bank, and played a key role in developing diplomatic relations. He also laid the foundations of the American holiday by declaring Thursday, November 28, 1782, as Thanksgiving Day.
But Hanson otherwise had little power in Congress as the first US president and was essentially a figurehead.
Jody Brumage, an archivist at Heritage Frederick, a historical society in Frederick, Maryland, where Hanson lived, suggested that Confederate leaders are often overlooked in American history because the government they led was “seen as a failure.”
An annotated copy of George Washington’s draft of the U.S. Constitution is seen during a media preview of the permanent galleries of the National Archives Museum, which is undergoing renovations for the first time in 20 years. The new museum grounds open to the public on October 23, 2025.
The Founders created the Constitution after finding that a more robust federal government was necessary to unite the colonies and maintain order.
“This is a very clear example of being careful and understanding when a system needs to evolve to serve a changing need,” Brumage said.
Complete list of Articles of Confederation presidents
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1782-1783: Elias Boudinot
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1783-1784: Thomas Mifflin
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1784-1785: Richard Henry Lee
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1786-1887: Nathaniel Gorham
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1787-1788: Arthur St. clair
Why wasn’t Washington chosen to lead under the Articles of Confederation?
The Articles of Confederation were ratified while Washington was still commander of the Continental Army. Washington did not resign his position until December 1783, after Hanson’s one-year term ended, and he was not involved in leadership talks at that time.
But Washington unanimously elected As the first president under the Constitution in 1789 by presidential electors from each state that made up the Electoral College.
This article first appeared on USA TODAY: Forgotten presidents: Who ruled the USA before George Washington?
