John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence most prominently as president of the Second Continental Congress.
Hancock's large signature appears near the center of the document, making his name especially recognizable. As Congress's presiding officer, he signed in that capacity, while the other delegates' names were arranged by colony or state.
Hancock was a wealthy Boston merchant and a prominent supporter of the patriot cause. He became president of the Second Continental Congress in 1775 and presided during the adoption of the Declaration in 1776.
A popular story says Hancock wanted the British king to read his name without spectacles, but historians treat that explanation as anecdotal rather than established fact. Hancock later became the first governor of Massachusetts under the state's 1780 constitution.