John Hancock’s large signature is the most famous on the United States Declaration of Independence. Hancock was president of the Continental Congress when the document was adopted, and his prominent name appears at the top of the engrossed parchment copy.
Hancock’s signature became so recognizable that “John Hancock” developed into an informal American expression meaning a person’s signature. A popular story says he wrote his name unusually large so King George III could read it without spectacles, but that explanation is a later legend rather than a documented statement from the signing.
The Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776, but the famous parchment copy was signed mainly on August 2. This distinction is often missed in Fourth of July discussions. Hancock’s signature appears alongside those of 55 other delegates, including future presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. The document and its signers are central subjects in the history celebrated during America250.