John Hanson (myths)
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John Hanson, sometimes called the First President of the United States, was the President of the Continental Congress in 1781-1782. There may be more untrue tales circulating about him than almost any other figure in American history. This article looks at the myths surrounding Hanson; for the facts known about him, see John Hanson.
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Background
The myths and tales that surround Hanson stem from a tendency in the 19th century for authors to worry more about creating inspirational history than an accurate reflection of people and events. Parson Weems' biography of George Washington was the most prominent early example.
In Hanson's case, the core of these errors is a book about Maryland's early settlers written by George A. Hanson in 1876. He paid particular attention to enhancing the careers and background of his ancestors, and by extension, anyone named Hanson. In the 1930s most of his material was treated as fact by Seymour Wemyss Smith in his book John Hanson, Our First President. Reprints and paperback editions of this book have remained available. The existence of these stretches to the truth should not be used to detract from Hanson's right to be considered as an important member of the founders of the United States.
Specific Myths
Hanson the Swede
As recently as July 4th, 2003 U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Charles A. Heimbold, Jr said in an address: "...but not enough people know that the first chief executive of America was actually a Swedish-American named John Hanson. John Hanson's family had a long and distinguished tradition of government service, first in Sweden and later in the United States. His great-grandfather had died at the side of Gustavus Adolphus at the battle of Lutzen. His grandfather was one of the founders of the New Sweden colony along the Delaware River."
The entire tale was created in 1872 by connecting some dots that were very far apart. There was an Anders Hansson among the Swedish colonists of Delaware. There was also a Hanson on the staff of Gustavus Adolphus. But neither of these had any relation with our John Hanson. A Swedish periodical examined this myth in Släkthistoriskt Forum 2000:4, and an English version is available online [1] (http://www.genealogi.se/roots/hanson.htm).
How many John Hansons?
The Hanson family had a habit of repeating names. This John Hanson had a grandfather, an uncle, a nephew, and two sons also named John. This doesn't even start to look at second cousins. The result is that even well-meaning genealogists come across a small record for one, and assume the data to another. One example is the resulting uncertainty about birth dates. Some report our John Hanson as born in 1712, not 1715 which is a switch between cousins.
Several authors report that he moved to Frederick County. Well, his nephew John did. Another contributing factor was that he himself was Treasurer of Frederick County for several years. But early Maryland, like several other states, allowed a property-owner to hold office regardless of residence. Like many planters of his time, he accumulated tenant farms and extended property for his own development. This John Hanson owned land in Charles, Prince George's, and Frederick Counties.
He kept a ferry to Mount Vernon
The myth here is that he lived directly across the Potomac River from George Washington, and that they ran a ferry between the two estates. There was a ferry operated as described. But the plantation in question was owned by Thomas Hanson Marshall, a lifetime friend to Washington and a distant cousin to John Hanson. Hanson's home was on the Maryland bank of the Potomac, but it was 30 miles downstream from Mount Vernon.
Hanson was black
Dick Gregory, comedian and black activist publishes an on-line column called Global Watch. In one of his columns he repeated most of the myths and added a new one, that John Hanson was the descendent of a slave. (The column can be seen at [2] (http://www.dickgregory.com/dick/14_washington.html).) An early Hanson immigrant to Maryland was the John Hanson who was this John's grandfather. Like many, he arrived as an indentured servant, bound by contract to a farm owner. In 1661, his first master, William Plumley, sold his contract to Edward Keene and recorded the contract with the court of Calvert County, Maryland. These same kinds of court records were also used to transfer title to land and slaves. But, in six years, the immigrant John had worked his way out of debt. A few years after he purchased his own first small farm. This may have originated due to Senator John Hanson.
Speech of the Unknown
The fictitious Speech of the Unknown is sometimes attributed to John Hanson. The speech is another example of 19th century glorification of the previous century, and the story appears in George Lippard's 1847 piece entitled Washington and His Generals: or, Legends of the Revolution.
As the story goes, the speech was given at the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and was the final motivation to spur the delegates to sign it. In Lippard's version of the fable -- and in most retellings -- the speaker is anonymous. In the last few years (and perhaps earlier) the speech has been attributed to Hanson to make it appear as if it were an actual event in history. This is on the same level as the spurious speech attributed to Chief Seattle, which was actually written approximately 120 years after the fact. Luckily, the Speech of the Unknown has not, as yet, appeared in high school textbooks.
To clarify, Hanson wasn't present at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, nor was he invited. Hanson was not selected as a delgate to the Continental Congress until four years later. This speech is obvious fiction. For perspective, the speech has also been attributed to the Comte de Saint-Germain, a man alleged by fringe spiritualists to be immortal.
Probably the most famous person to quote the speech as fact is the late President Ronald Reagan, in his commencement address at Eureka College on June 7, 1957.
Miscellaneous reports
- Articles of Confederation:The primary major mover who finally got the articles ratified was Samuel Huntington. Maryland was the last state to ratify the Articles, and Hanson was one of their congressman when they did. It was a fairly simple shift to attribute Huntington's actions to Hanson. But a careful examination of correspondence kept at the Library of Congress and in state archives clears this up.
- Hanson was unanimously elected President: The journal of the congress for November 5, 1781 reports simply that "Their credentials being read, Congress proceeded to the election of a President; and the ballots being taken, the honble. John Hanson was elected." There is no record of nominations, votes, or debate.
- Hanson served in the Maryland Senate: Hanson's U.S. congressional biography even repeats this one. But, the dates given match his service in the Colonial Assembly. For the years noted, there was no Maryland Senate. There was a Governor's Council that functioned as an upper house for legislation, but Hanson wasn't on the council. But Senate sounds more impressive than the House of Delegates.
- Hanson established the Great Seal of the United States: He was president when the seal was first used, but not when it was ordered, and he never used it himself. See: Great Seal of the United States.
- Hanson established the first Secretary of War: As the active phase of the American Revolutionary War ended, Congress reduced the work of the Board of War, and their committees by hiring several secretaries: war, marine, and finance. But the secretary reported to the committee, not the president. The final resolution of congress creating the job dealt with the secretary's pay, and was passed on October 1, 1781 before Hanson was President.
- Thanksgiving: Hanson declared that the fourth Thursday of every November was to be Thanksgiving Day. Congress did declare a day of thanksgiving and prayer the day they learned of the victory at Yorktown. Other than as a delegate, Hanson wasn't involved. The fourth Thursday standard started with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. See: Thanksgiving.