John Hancock served as president of the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence first.
Hancock was a Massachusetts merchant and prominent revolutionary leader. He became president of the Second Continental Congress in 1775, placing him in the chair when Congress debated the question of independence and adopted the declaration.
His large, prominent signature appears at the center beneath the text. The other delegates signed later, primarily on August 2, 1776, and their names were grouped by colony or state. Hancock’s signature is unusually conspicuous because of its size and position.
A common misconception is that Hancock wrote the declaration. Thomas Jefferson was its principal drafter, with revisions by Congress. John Adams and Benjamin Franklin helped review the draft, but Hancock’s formal role as congressional president explains why his name stands alone above the other signatures.