John Hancock’s large, famous signature appears first on the engrossed Declaration of Independence.
Hancock was president of the Second Continental Congress when the parchment copy was signed. His prominent name appears separately from the state-grouped signatures, and its size helped make “John Hancock” an American expression for a person’s signature.
The engrossed copy is the carefully handwritten parchment version familiar from reproductions. It was prepared after Congress adopted the Declaration and was signed primarily on August 2, 1776, although the precise signing timeline has been debated.
Hancock’s signature is often linked to a popular story that he wanted King George III to read it without spectacles. That anecdote is not needed to identify the historical fact. His documented position as congressional president explains why his name occupies the distinctive first place.