John Hanson Statue Dedicated In Frederick

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- You may not know his name but there's a statue in Frederick recognizing an American Revolutionary leader who some regard as the nation's first president.

A dedication ceremony is scheduled Saturday for the John Hanson Memorial outside the Frederick County Courthouse.

Hanson was elected in November 1781 as the first president of the original United States government under the Articles of Confederation. He served a one-year term.

That government was replaced when the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1787.

Biographer Peter Michael says Hanson was born in Charles County in 1715 and moved to Frederick County 1773. He died in Oxon Hill in 1783.

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