John Hancock had the largest and most prominent signature on the Declaration of Independence celebrated by America250.
Hancock was president of the Second Continental Congress when the Declaration was adopted. His large signature appears beneath the text and became so famous that “John Hancock” later entered American English as an informal synonym for a person’s signature.
Hancock’s role explains why his name is displayed separately from the state-grouped signatures of the other delegates. He was a Massachusetts merchant and prominent revolutionary leader who later served as president of the Continental Congress and governor of Massachusetts.
The popular story that Hancock made his signature large so King George III could read it is a later anecdote rather than a contemporary explanation. The prominent placement reflected his office as Congress’s presiding officer.