John Hancock was president of the Second Continental Congress when America250’s founding document, the Declaration of Independence, was adopted.
Hancock served as president of the Continental Congress from May 1775 until October 1777, covering the adoption and publication of the Declaration of Independence. In that role, he presided over congressional debates and formally signed the document, along with the other delegates.
Hancock’s large signature made his name especially famous. The declaration itself was signed by delegates in stages, with most names appearing on the engrossed parchment on August 2, 1776. Hancock’s signature is often treated as symbolically representative of all the signers, although he was one of many delegates.
He later became the first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under its 1780 constitution. Hancock is sometimes confused with John Adams, who strongly supported independence and served in Congress but was not the congressional president at the declaration’s adoption.