True. John Hanson was the first president of the United States, under the Articles of Confederation, an office he held for one year. He established the Great Seal of the United States, the Treasury Department, and Thanksgiving. Six other presidents were elected after him, all before George Washington. They were Elias Boudinot (1783), Thomas Mifflin (1784), Richard Henry Lee (1785), Nathan Gorman (1786), Arthur St. Clair (1787), and Cyrus Griffin (1788). George Washington was the first president of the United States elected under the Constitution.
I couldn't have named the others from memory, and had to look them up, but I did know that John Hanson was the first because I have used that on people often.
I did not know that. I feel like I am earning a degree on this Forum. I was reading something the other day that said George Washington never had wooden false teeth either, do either of you know the the truth about that?
I am pretty sure that Washington's teeth were made of Ivory, and other composite materials. They were extremely uncomfortable for him so I think he took them out at every opportunity. Washington was born about an hour so from here, in Ferry Farm. Another myth in regard to Washington, is that he never threw a silver dollar across the Potomac. The Potomac is very wide near Washington's boyhood home, and it could not be done. Parson Weems was Washington's main biographer, and he told some tall tales in regard to dear old George.
His official title was "President of the United States in Congress assembled". However he was not a "Head of State", simply the "Head of Government". There was no Cabinet at that time, no Executive dept. About 20 years ago when I toured U.S. Grant's boyhood home in Georgetown, Ohio, a man asked me, and almost quoting "Are you in any way involved in the Hanson matter"? I knew what he meant and he told me about this, and at the time I had never heard of it. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/9785