John Hancock’s oversized signature on the engrossed United States Declaration of Independence became iconic.
Hancock was president of the Second Continental Congress when Congress adopted the Declaration in July 1776. His position gave his name special prominence, although the famous parchment document was signed primarily on August 2, 1776, rather than during a ceremonial signing on July 4.
Hancock’s signature was notably large and stylish. Over time, “John Hancock” became an informal American expression meaning a person’s signature. The popular story that Hancock wrote his name large so King George III could read it without spectacles is a later legend, not a documented explanation of his handwriting.
The first printed version, known as the Dunlap broadside, listed Hancock and Congress secretary Charles Thomson, but it did not display the delegates’ handwritten signatures. The celebrated handwritten signature appears on the engrossed parchment copy now associated with the National Archives.