John Hancock signed first on the engrossed United States Declaration of Independence.
Hancock was president of the Second Continental Congress when the declaration was adopted. His large, prominent signature appears beneath the text, followed by the names of the other delegates. He represented Massachusetts and held the congressional office that gave his signature a particularly visible place on the document.
The engrossed parchment was prepared after Congress approved the declaration. Most delegates signed it on August 2, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, although some signed later because they were absent or had not yet joined Congress. In total, 56 delegates’ names appear on the document.
A common misconception is that every signer put a name on the page on July 4. July 4 was the adoption date, while the major signing occurred nearly a month later. Another popular story claims Hancock signed large enough for King George III to read it; that anecdote is widely repeated but is not the basis for identifying him as the first signer.