John Hancock

John Hancock (1737-1793), American patriot and statesman, who was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Hancock was born on January 12, 1737, in Braintree (now part of Quincy), Massachusetts, and was educated at Harvard College (now Harvard University). After his graduation (1754), he joined the mercantile firm of his uncle and guardian, the colonial businessman Thomas Hancock. In 1764 he inherited the business and a substantial fortune. He was elected to the Massachusetts legislature two years later.

Hancock first became embroiled with the British government in 1768, when customs officials seized his sloop Liberty because he had unloaded a cargo of Madeira wine without paying import duties. His vigorous defense in the ensuing lawsuits won him wide popularity among the anti-British elements in Massachusetts. After the Boston Massacre of 1770, he served on the committee that demanded the removal of British troops from Boston. He was prominently identified with the colonial cause thereafter, working closely with the revolutionary patriot Samuel Adams in the leadership of the Whig, or Patriot, Party in Massachusetts. After the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 18-19, 1775, which began the American Revolution, he and Adams were specifically excluded from the general amnesty offered to the revolutionary leaders by the British two months later.

From 1775 to 1780 Hancock was a member of the Continental Congress, serving as a presiding officer during the first two years. By virtue of this office, he was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. He was the first governor of the state of Massachusetts, holding that office from 1780 to 1785 and from 1789 until his death. Although he was initially opposed to the federal Constitution, he later supported it and served as president of the Massachusetts convention that approved the document in 1788. He died in Quincy on October 8, 1793.