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Our American Stories

Was America’s First President Really George Washington?

Our American Stories

iHeartPodcasts

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.6816 Ratings

🗓️ 2 June 2026

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On this episode of Our American Stories, George Washington is correctly remembered as America’s first real president, but under the nation’s original government, another man held the title years earlier: John Hanson. Historian, bestselling author, and Our American Stories regular contributor Christopher Klein shares the surprising story of the forgotten Maryland statesman some historians consider America’s first president under the Articles of Confederation

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Transcript

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0:00.0

This is an I-Heart podcast.

0:02.3

Guaranteed human.

0:14.1

And we continue with our American stories.

0:17.9

Our next story comes from our regular contributor, Christopher Klein. Klein is the author of four

0:23.3

books and a frequent contributor to the History Channel. Did you know that there was an American

0:28.9

president before George Washington? Here's Christopher Klein with a story. The sky was as bright as George Washington's resplendid blue dress uniform as he

0:40.9

strode triumphantly into Independence Hall on November 28, 1781.

0:46.7

It was shortly afternoon in Philadelphia, but it was dawned throughout America.

0:52.5

Just weeks earlier, the British had surrendered at Yorktown,

0:56.1

and the newly christened government of the United States of America had convened to elect the

1:00.9

fledgling country's first president. No, it wasn't George Washington, but John Hanson of Maryland.

1:09.2

As Washington entered the chamber to receive the official recognition of Congress,

1:13.9

his gaze fell upon Hanson,

1:16.2

the first man to hold the title,

1:18.4

President of the United States in Congress assembled.

1:22.2

The man occupying what Washington called the most important seat in the United States,

1:28.7

rose to his feet,

1:34.4

and congratulated the general on his glorious success that effectively ended the American Revolution.

1:40.1

Although he held the nation's highest office nearly a decade before Washington,

1:45.7

don't expect to find John Hans' image along old George's familiar face on quarters,

1:49.7

$1 bills, or use car ads on President's Day.

1:54.6

The man, some historians argue, was truly the country's first president,

...

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