Remembering John Hanson: A biography of the first president of the original United States government - Paperback

by Peter H. Michael (Author)

Winner of the 2013 eLit Silver Award in Biography and named Finalist for the 2013 USA Book News Award in Biography Remembering John Hanson re-illuminates the key Revolutionary War figure and Founding Father to whom George Washington reported when Hanson served as the first president of the original United States government chartered under the Articles of Confederation. This biography, the first in over seventy years on Hanson and with the best documentation ever researched on him, spells out his two nation-saving triumphs which kept the nation whole on the eve of independence and again as it struggled to form a government, and made Hanson the unopposed choice by some of the greatest Americans who ever lived to be their and their nation's first president. Remembering John Hanson brings to light the astounding and tragic story of the destruction of Hanson's tomb in the 1980s and the author's rediscovery of its site in researching the book. Also covered are current efforts to rekindle the nation's memory of Hanson and to dispel odd Internet myths that have arisen about him in recent years. Peter H. Michael is publisher of Underground Railroad Free Press, the nation's top-circulation Underground Railroad news publication. His recent books are Running on Empty: Along an Epic 12,000-Mile Road Trip America Has Its Say on Economic Inequality, and Palace of Yawns, a 365-day Southeast Asia journal at the tumultuous end of the Viet Nam War. Peter Michael was educated at the University of Maryland, Berkeley and Princeton and lives with his wife on his family's ancestral farm founded in 1768 near Adamstown, Maryland. The first comprehensive biography of the most forgotten major figure in American history, reading this volume is nothing if not enriching. Michael's narrative presents a torrent of information in fine detail, a rich trove about a major historical figure. / Kirkus Reviews Some of the best information on Hanson I have ever seen. / Edward Edelen, Founder, The John Hanson Institute This work represents the most comprehensive and - equally important - extensively documented exploration of the life and contributions of John Hanson. It provides the context and critical analysis to properly elevate Hanson to the pantheon of the fathers of our nation. / Aldan Weinberg, Professor Emeritus of Journalism and Director of the Communications Arts Program, Hood College You contribute greatly to our understanding of Hanson, his times, and why he became largely forgotten. Remembering John Hanson is also clearly and engagingly written, with excellent illustrations. / Ralph Levering, Hanson scholar and Professor of History, Davidson College I have found your information to confirm my arguments why Hanson was the more significant first president of the United States. The story of John Hanson is much greater than previous authors have given credit to. / John Cummings, John Hanson researcher

Author Biography

Peter Michael is president of the John Hanson Memorial Association, a national body honoring John Hanson's life and nation-saving deeds, and sponsor of the John Hanson National Memorial erected in 2011 in Frederick, Maryland. Michael is publisher of Underground Railroad Free Press, the top-circulation Underground Railroad news publication. He was educated at the University of Maryland, Berkeley and Princeton. He and his wife Vicki, a painter and civic leader, are the seventh Michael generation since 1768 at Cooling Springs Farm, an Underground Railroad historic site near Adamstown, Maryland.