His is the most easily read and identifiable signature on the Declaration of Independence, but exactly who was John Hancock?
Born Jan. 23, 1737, in Braintree, Massachusetts, Hancock was raised by his wealthy merchant uncle, Thomas Hancock, following the death of his clergyman father, according to History.com.
Hancock grow-up in Boston and then graduated from Harvard in 1754. Following his uncle’s death in 1764. Hancock inherited his shipping business. Elected a Boston selectman in 1765, he won a seat in the Massachusetts colonial legislature the following year.
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Around that time, Great Britain's relationship with the American colonies began to fray further through taxation and other measures of control.
In 1768, British customs officials took over one of Hancock’s ships, the Liberty, which was seized in Boston Harbor. They said Hancock had illegally unloaded cargo without paying the necessary taxes. Public protests took place over the seizure due to Hancock’s popularity and he became involved in the movement for American independence.
Hancock stepped up, using both his money and influence to back the cause. By 1774, Hancock was president of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, which declared itself an autonomous government.
In December of the same year, he was chosen as a Massachusetts delegate to the Second Continental Congress, which served as the governing body of the new country during the American Revolution, according to History.com
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Hancock was elected president of the Continental Congress, which was meeting in Philadelphia, in May of 1775. A little more than a year later on July 4, 1776, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
As president of the Continental Congress, Hancock is credited as the first signer of the document. Today, the term “John Hancock” is synonymous with “signature.”
During the war, Hancock unsuccessfully lead an attempt to recapture Newport, Rhode Island from the British and helped to frame the Massachusetts constitution in 1780.
From 1780 to 1785, Hancock was the first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He was reelected in 1787 and served until his death in 1793.
Hancock married Dorothy Quincy, the daughter of a Boston merchant and magistrate. In 1775. They had two children, a boy and a girl, neither of whom survived to adulthood.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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