John Hancock’s name appears first and largest on the signed United States Declaration of Independence.
Hancock was president of the Second Continental Congress when the document was adopted and signed. His prominent signature appears near the center below the text, making it the most visually recognizable of the 56 signatures.
Hancock’s large autograph helped create the American expression “John Hancock,” meaning a person’s signature. A popular story claims that he wanted King George III to read his name without spectacles, but historians treat that remark as an anecdote rather than a firmly documented exchange.
The famous parchment was not necessarily signed by everyone on July 4. Most delegates signed on August 2, 1776, and some added their names later. John Hancock’s signature is therefore associated with the Declaration’s signing, while July 4 refers to congressional adoption of the document.