John Hancock was the first presumed signer of the United States Declaration of Independence.
Hancock was president of the Second Continental Congress when the Declaration was adopted. Because of that position, he presumably signed first on the engrossed parchment copy. His large, distinctive signature became the document’s most recognizable mark.
The signing chronology is more complicated than the familiar July 4 story. Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776, but most delegates signed the engrossed copy on August 2. Several delegates were absent that day and added their names later. Historians also debate the exact dates on which some signatures were made.
Hancock’s name later became associated with the word “signature” in American English. He served as a prominent Massachusetts revolutionary leader and later became the state’s first governor under its 1780 constitution. His signature therefore combines a personal detail with the wider story of American independence.