Question: who was the first official president of the united states
Answer: While George Washington is recognized by historians as the first President of the United States , since he began serving when the current United States Constitution went into effect in 1789 , some biographies of Hanson have made arguments that Hanson was actually the first holder of the office of president since he began serving following the first election for a full one - year presidential term once the Articles of Confederation was ratified in 1781 .