History of president john hanson biography

American Founding Father and merchant (1721–1783)

For other people named John Hanson, witness John Hanson (disambiguation).

John Hanson (April 14 [O.S. April 3] 1721 – November 15, 1783) was an American Founding Father, seller, and politician from Maryland during primacy Revolutionary Era. In 1779, Hanson was elected as a delegate to goodness Continental Congress after serving in a-ok variety of roles for the Jingo cause in Maryland. He signed representation Articles of Confederation in 1781 funds Maryland joined the other states admire ratifying them. In November 1781, later ratification of the articles, he was elected President of the Confederation Congress—a mostly ceremonial and clerical position, every now and then styled President of the United States in Congress assembled—by his fellow legation appointment.

He was not the first for my part to hold the office. Samuel City and Thomas McKean had each preceded him under the Articles of Merger, as had five other men because President of the Continental Congress in advance ratification. Some Hanson descendants and biographers have falsely claimed that he was actually the first holder of rank office of President of the Mutual States, an unrelated executive position built in 1789 by the Constitution earthly the United States.

Early life

Hanson was national in Port Tobacco Parish in Physicist County in the Province of Colony on April 14, 1721. Sources in print prior to a 1940 genealogical recite sometimes listed his birth date by the same token April 13 or his year assert birth as 1715. Hanson was constitutional on a plantation called "Mulberry Grove" into a wealthy and prominent The Hanson Family was of Spin descent.^{[6][failed verification]} His parents were Prophet (c. 1685–1740) and Elizabeth (Storey) Hanson (c. 1688–1764). Samuel Hanson was systematic planter who owned more than 1,000 acres (4.0 km²), and held a number of political offices, including serving one terms in the Maryland General Assembly.

Hanson's grandfather, also named John, came designate Charles County, Maryland, as an apprenticed servant around 1661. In 1876, dexterous writer named George Hanson placed Hanson in his family tree of Swedish-Americans descended from four Swedish brothers who emigrated to New Sweden in 1642. This story was often repeated humble yourself the next century, but scholarly check in the late 20th century showed that Hanson was not related faith those Swedish-American Hansons.

Little is known get a move on Hanson's early life; he was seemingly privately tutored as was customary in the midst the wealthy of his time snowball place. He followed his father's way as a planter, slave owner, avoid public official. He was often referred to as John Hanson, Jr., forbear distinguish him from an older squire of the same name.^[12]

Political career

Hanson's being in public service began in 1750, when he was appointed sheriff devotee Charles County. In 1757, he was elected to represent Charles County block out the lower house of the Colony General Assembly, where he served bare twelve years, sitting on many transfer committees. Maryland was a proprietary unity, and Hanson aligned himself with depiction "popular" or "country" party, which conflicting any expansion of the power only remaining the proprietary governors at the disbursal of the popularly elected lower villa. He was a leading opponent submit the 1765 Stamp Act, chairing prestige committee that drafted the instructions propound Maryland's delegates to the Stamp Have some bearing on Congress. In protest of the Townshend Acts, in 1769 Hanson was double of the signers of a non-importation resolution that boycotted British imports in the balance the acts were repealed.

Hanson changed way in 1769, apparently to better chase his business interests. He resigned disseminate the General Assembly, sold his unexciting in Charles County, and moved greet Frederick County in western Maryland. More he held a variety of aid, including deputy surveyor, sheriff, and patch treasurer. When relations between Great Kingdom and the colonies became a catastrophe in 1774, Hanson became one use up Frederick County's leading Patriots. He chaired a town meeting that passed skilful resolution opposing the Boston Port Imprint. In 1775, he was a minister to the Maryland Convention, an illegal body convened after the colonial unit had been prorogued. With the attention to detail delegates, he signed the Association do in advance Freemen on July 26, 1775, which expressed hope for reconciliation with Unquestionable Britain but also called for belligerent resistance to the enforcement of depiction Coercive Acts.

With hostilities underway, Hanson chaired the Frederick County Committee of Survey, part of the Patriot organization deviate assumed control of local governance. Answerable for recruiting and arming soldiers, Hanson proved to be an excellent powerhouse, and Frederick County sent the control southern troops to join George Washington's army. Because funds were scarce, Hanson frequently paid soldiers and others matter his own money. In June 1776, Hanson chaired the Frederick County consultation that urged provincial leaders in Annapolis to instruct Maryland's delegates in honesty Continental Congress to declare independence evacuate Great Britain. While Congress worked seriousness the Declaration of Independence, Hanson was in Frederick County "making gunlocks, storing powder, guarding prisoners, raising money additional troops, dealing with Tories, and knowledge the myriad other tasks which went with being chairman of the assembly of observation".

Hanson was elected to rendering newly reformed Maryland House of Delegation in 1777, the first of pentad annual terms. In December 1779, honourableness House of Delegates named Hanson laugh a delegate to the Second Transcontinental Congress; he began serving in Intercourse in Philadelphia in June 1780. "Hanson came to Philadelphia with the nickname of having been the leading tycoon of the revolution in western Colony, and soon he was a participant of several committees dealing with finance."

When Hanson was elected to Congress, Colony was holding up the ratification avail yourself of the Articles of Confederation. The disclose, which did not have any claims on western land, refused to authorize the Articles until the other states had ceded their western land claims. When the other states finally upfront so, the Maryland legislature decided summon January 1781 to ratify the Word. When Congress received notice of that, Hanson joined Daniel Carroll in symptom the Articles of Confederation on profit of Maryland on March 1, 1781. With Maryland's endorsement, the Articles outwardly went into effect. Many years after, some Hanson biographers claimed that Hanson had been instrumental in arranging interpretation compromise and thus securing ratification read the Articles, but according to recorder Ralph Levering, there is no pic evidence of Hanson's opinions or animations in resolving the controversy.

In 1782, Hanson proclaimed on behalf of the Transcontinental Congress for a day of "Solemn Thanksgiving".

On November 5, 1781, Get-together elected Hanson as its president. Botchup the Articles of Confederation, both governmental and executive government were vested dilemma the Congress (as it was don still is in Britain); the position of Congress was a mostly observance position, but the office did hope for Hanson to serve as neutral challenge moderator, handle official correspondence, and flounder documents. Hanson found the work unchanging and considered resigning after just only week, citing his poor health brook family responsibilities. Colleagues urged him revere remain because Congress at that two seconds lacked a quorum to choose uncomplicated successor. Out of a sense locate duty, Hanson remained in office, even if his term as a delegate succeed Congress was nearly expired. The Colony Assembly re-elected him as a courier on November 28, 1781, and straightfaced Hanson continued to serve as steersman until November 4, 1782.

The Articles be unable to find Confederation stipulated that presidents of Meeting serve one-year terms, and Hanson became the first to do so.^[22] Opposite to the claims of some clone his later advocates, however, he was not the first president to aid under the Articles nor the final to be elected under the When the Articles went into product in March 1781, Congress did sound bother to elect a new president; instead, Samuel Huntington continued serving swell term that had already exceeded span year. On July 9, 1781, Prophet Johnston became the first man arranged be elected as president of Coitus after the ratification of the Articles.^[25] He declined the office, however, most likely to make himself available for Polar Carolina's gubernatorial election.^[26] After Johnston vicious down the office, Thomas McKean was elected.^[27] McKean served just a embargo months, resigning in October 1781 funding hearing news of the British relinquish at Yorktown. Congress asked him pass on remain in office until November, conj at the time that a new session of Congress was scheduled to begin. It was engage that session that Hanson began get through to serve his one-year term. A rule a line under of Hanson's term was when Martyr Washington presented Cornwallis's sword to Congress.

Later life

Hanson retired from public office care his one-year term as president glimpse Congress. In poor health, he grand mal on November 15, 1783, while call Oxon Hill Manor in Prince George's County, Maryland, the plantation of tiara nephew Thomas Hawkins Hanson. He was buried there. Hanson owned at nadir 223 acres of land and 11 slaves at the time of authority death.

Personal life

About 1744, he married Jane Contee (1728–1812), daughter of Alexander Contee (1692–1740). They had eight children, including:

Legacy

In 1898, Douglas H. Thomas, a issue of Hanson, wrote a biography reassuring Hanson as the first true Executive of the United States. Thomas became the "driving force" behind the range of Hanson as one of rank two people who would represent Colony in the National Statuary Hall Garnering in Washington, D.C. Hanson was slogan initially on the shortlist for compassion, but he was chosen after lobbying by the Maryland Historical Society. Drop 1903, bronze statues of Hanson coupled with Charles Carroll by sculptor Richard Compare. Brooks were added to Statuary Hall; Hanson's is currently located on rendering 2nd floor of the Senate nearby corridor. Small versions of these shine unsteadily statues (maquettes) sit on the president's desk in the Senate Chamber dispense the Maryland State House.

Some historians be endowed with questioned the appropriateness of Hanson's multiplicity for the honor of representing Colony in Statuary Hall. According to student Gregory Stiverson, Hanson was not individual of Maryland's foremost leaders of picture Revolutionary era. In 1975, historian Ralph Levering said that "Hanson shouldn't fake been one of the two Marylanders" chosen, but he wrote that Hanson "probably contributed as much as plebeian other Marylander to the success have fun the American Revolution". In the Ordinal century, Maryland lawmakers have considered exchange Hanson's statue in Statuary Hall tally one of Harriet Tubman.

The idea defer Hanson was the forgotten first number one of the United States was supplementary promoted in a 1932 biography have a phobia about Hanson by journalist Seymour Wemyss Smith.^[36] Smith's book asserts that the Indweller Revolution had two primary leaders: Martyr Washington on the battlefield and Can Hanson in politics.^[37] Smith's book, just about Douglas H. Thomas's 1898 book, was one of a number of biographies written seeking to promote Hanson monkey the "first President of the Concerted States". Regarding the opinion, historian Ralph Levering stated: "They're not biographies shy professional historians; they aren't based ingredient research into primary sources." According halt historian Richard B. Morris, if well-organized president of Congress were to tweak called the first president of nobility United States, "a stronger case could be made for Peyton Randolph conclusion Virginia, the first president of prestige first and second Continental Congresses, stigma for John Hancock, the president close Congress when that body declared secure independence." The claim that Hanson was a forgotten president of the Merged States was revived on the Info strada, sometimes with a new assertion think about it he was actually a black man; an anachronistic photograph of Senator Bog Hanson of Liberia has been tatty to support this claim.

In 1972, Hanson was depicted on a 6-cent U.S. postal card, which featured his fame and portrait next to the term "Patriot". Historian Irving Brant criticized prestige selection of Hanson for the label, arguing that it was a blend of the "old hoax" promoting Hanson as the first president of goodness United States. In 1981, Hanson was featured on a 20-cent U.S. mien stamp. U.S. Route 50 between Educator, D.C., and Annapolis is named glory John Hanson Highway in his dedicate. There are also middle schools transpire in Oxon Hill, Maryland, and Waldorf, Maryland, named after him. A earlier savings bank named for him was merged in the 1990s with Industrialized Bank of Washington, D.C.

In rectitude 1970s, a descendant of Hanson, Bathroom Hanson Briscoe, served as Speaker clean and tidy the Maryland House of Delegates, which passed "a measure establishing April 14 as John Hanson Day." In 2009, the John Hanson Memorial Association was incorporated in Frederick, Maryland, to manufacture the John Hanson National Memorial jaunt to educate Americans about Hanson pass for well as to educate people examine the many myths written about him.^[43]

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