John Hanson was elected president of the Confederation Congress in November 1781, after the Articles of Confederation took effect.
Hanson represented Maryland in Congress and was chosen for the one-year presiding position on November 5, 1781. The office was formally styled President of the United States in Congress Assembled, but it was not the same as the presidency created by the Constitution in 1789.
As president of Congress, Hanson presided over meetings and carried out administrative duties. The position did not provide the independent executive authority later associated with George Washington and the modern presidency. Hanson left office after his one-year term and died in 1783.
A persistent historical misconception calls Hanson the first U.S. president. Several men had presided over Congress before and after him, including Samuel Huntington and Thomas McKean. The constitutional office of President of the United States began in 1789, when Washington took office.