John Hanson

Who was John Hanson?

John Hanson was an African American associated with the American Colonization Society, which sought to relocate black Americans to Liberia. In Liberia, he served as a senator from Grand Bassa County.

Senator Hanson has recently been confused with an earlier John Hanson, a white politician from Maryland who served as President of the Continental Congress during the American Revolution. According to this urban myth, John Hanson of Maryland was actually black, and also the first President of the United States. Internet sites promoting the hoax use the photograph of Senator John Hanson of Liberia to support the claim, even though photography had not yet been invented when the earlier John Hanson was living.