John Hancock signed the United States Declaration of Independence with the document’s largest and most famous signature.
Hancock was serving as president of the Second Continental Congress when the Declaration was adopted. His oversized signature appears prominently beneath the text, unlike the smaller grouped signatures of the other delegates. The visual prominence helped make his name an enduring symbol of the founding document.
Hancock’s role was political and procedural rather than that of the Declaration’s principal drafter. Thomas Jefferson wrote the original draft, while Congress debated and edited it. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston served with Jefferson on the Committee of Five that presented the draft.
The popular story that Hancock wanted the king to read his name is later folklore, not a documented explanation for its size. The phrase “John Hancock” later became an American expression meaning a signature. Hancock remained an important revolutionary leader and became the first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.