John Hancock placed the most famous large signature on the United States Declaration of Independence.
Hancock was serving as president of the Second Continental Congress when the Declaration was adopted. His signature is unusually large and prominent on the engrossed parchment, making his name one of the best-known features of the document.
That prominence helped turn “John Hancock” into an informal American expression for a person’s signature. A popular story says Hancock wanted King George III to read his name without spectacles, but historians regard that tale as a later legend rather than a verified comment.
Hancock did not write the Declaration’s main text; Thomas Jefferson produced the principal draft as part of the Committee of Five. Hancock’s role was instead connected to congressional leadership and authentication. The Declaration contains 56 signatures, and Hancock’s is conventionally treated as the first and most recognizable.