Was George Washington Really Our First President?

Was George Washington the first President of the United States? That depends on how you define the title.

The first person to formally use it – sort of – was John Hanson. From 1781-1788, he held the office of President of the United States in Congress Assembled. Not nearly the same thing as the nation’s chief executive. It was more like today’s Speaker of the House. Still, the idea that Hanson, not Washington, was really our first president keeps circulating. It seems to have originated with the claim, in a 1932 book by Seymour Wemyss Smith, that Hanson was our “forgotten” first president. Apparently, Smith picked up this information from an earlier book written by one of Hanson’s descendents… and didn’t bother to check the facts.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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