John Hancock was president of Congress when the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776.
Hancock became president of the Second Continental Congress on May 24, 1775, after Peyton Randolph returned to Virginia. The office primarily involved presiding over debates and handling official correspondence, rather than exercising executive authority like a modern president.
Congress adopted the Declaration’s final text on July 4, 1776, while Hancock held that position. His name appears prominently on the famous engrossed parchment copy, which he signed on August 2 with many other delegates. That large signature later made “John Hancock” an informal American term for a signature.
A common mix-up is crediting Thomas Jefferson with being president of Congress because Jefferson drafted the Declaration’s main text. Hancock did not write the document, and he was not the commander of the Continental Army; George Washington held that military role. Hancock later served as governor of Massachusetts.