John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence with its largest and most famous signature.
Hancock was president of the Second Continental Congress when Congress adopted the Declaration in 1776. His prominent signature appears near the center beneath the text, while the other delegates’ names are arranged in columns by colony or state.
The size of Hancock’s signature helped create the enduring expression “John Hancock” as a synonym for a signature. His role also made him a highly visible revolutionary leader, although the popular story that he signed in an especially dramatic way so King George III could read it is a later legend.
Hancock was a wealthy Massachusetts merchant and politician. Before becoming president of Congress, he had already become prominent in the colonial resistance movement. His signature is one of the clearest visual links between the document adopted in 1776 and the America250 anniversary in 2026.