74 Facts About John Hancock

John Hancock served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

John Hancock is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence, so much so that the term John Hancock or Hancock has become a nickname in the United States for one's signature.

John Hancock signed the Articles of Confederation, and used his influence to ensure that Massachusetts ratified the United States Constitution in 1788.

John Hancock began his political career in Boston as a protege of Samuel Adams, an influential local politician, though the two men later became estranged.

John Hancock used his wealth to support the colonial cause as tensions increased between colonists and Great Britain in the 1760s.

John Hancock became very popular in Massachusetts, especially after British officials seized his sloop Liberty in 1768 and charged him with smuggling.

John Hancock was the son of Colonel John Hancock Jr.

Thomas John Hancock was the proprietor of a firm known as the House of John Hancock, which imported manufactured goods from Britain and exported rum, whale oil, and fish.

Thomas John Hancock had close relations with the royal governors of Massachusetts and secured profitable government contracts during the war.

John Hancock learned much about his uncle's business during these years and was trained for eventual partnership in the firm.

John Hancock worked hard, but he enjoyed playing the role of a wealthy aristocrat and developed a fondness for expensive clothes.

From 1760 to 1761, John Hancock lived in England while building relationships with customers and suppliers.

The household slaves continued to work for John and his aunt, but were eventually freed through the terms of Thomas Hancock's will; there is no evidence that John Hancock ever bought or sold slaves.

John Hancock was not yet a political activist; however, he criticized the tax for economic, rather than constitutional, reasons.

John Hancock emerged as a leading political figure in Boston just as tensions with Great Britain were increasing.

John Hancock initially took a moderate position: as a loyal British subject, he thought that the colonists should submit to the act even though he believed that Parliament was misguided.

John Hancock joined the resistance to the Stamp Act by participating in a boycott of British goods, which made him popular in Boston.

Fifteen years older than John Hancock, Adams had a somber, Puritan outlook that stood in marked contrast to John Hancock's taste for luxury and extravagance.

Apocryphal stories later portrayed Adams as masterminding John Hancock's political rise so that the merchant's wealth could be used to further the Whig agenda.

John Hancock joined other Bostonians in calling for a boycott of British imports until the Townshend duties were repealed.

John Hancock was summoned, and finding that the agents lacked a writ of assistance, he did not allow them to go below deck.

When one of them later managed to get into the hold, John Hancock's men forced the tidesman back on deck.

Customs officials wanted to file charges, but the case was dropped when Massachusetts Attorney General Jonathan Sewall ruled that John Hancock had broken no laws.

John Hancock paid the duties on the 25 pipes of wine, but officials suspected that he had arranged to have more wine unloaded during the night to avoid paying the duties for the entire cargo.

Royal officials as well as John Hancock's accuser stood to gain financially since, as was the custom, any penalties assessed by the court would be awarded to the governor, the informer, and the Crown, each getting a third.

Dickerson believes that there is no reliable evidence that John Hancock was guilty in the Liberty case and that the purpose of the trials was to punish John Hancock for political reasons and to plunder his property.

John W Tyler identified 23 smugglers in his study of more than 400 merchants in revolutionary Boston but found no written evidence that Hancock was one of them.

Biographer William Fowler concludes that while John Hancock was probably engaged in some smuggling, most of his business was legitimate, and his later reputation as the "king of the colonial smugglers" is a myth without foundation.

John Hancock was not involved in the incident, but afterwards he led a committee to demand the removal of the troops.

Hutchinson knew that John Hancock was bluffing, but the soldiers were in a precarious position when garrisoned within the town, and so Dalrymple agreed to remove both regiments to Castle William.

John Hancock was celebrated as a hero for his role in getting the troops withdrawn.

John Hancock tried to improve his relationship with Governor Hutchinson, who in turn sought to woo John Hancock away from Adams's influence.

John Hancock declined the office not wanting to appear to have been co-opted by the governor.

Nevertheless, John Hancock used the improved relationship to resolve an ongoing dispute.

Hutchinson had dared to hope that he could win over John Hancock and discredit Adams.

John Hancock's speech denounced the presence of British troops in Boston, who he said had been sent there "to enforce obedience to acts of Parliament, which neither God nor man ever empowered them to make".

John Hancock did not serve in the first Congress, possibly for health reasons or possibly to remain in charge while the other Patriot leaders were away.

John Hancock was elected as president of the Provincial Congress and was a key member of the Committee of safety.

John Hancock, still considering himself a militia colonel, wanted to take the field with the Patriot militia at Lexington, but Adams and others convinced him to avoid battle, arguing that he was more valuable as a political leader than as a soldier.

John Hancock was a good choice for president for several reasons.

John Hancock was experienced, having often presided over legislative bodies and town meetings in Massachusetts.

John Hancock's position was somewhat ambiguous because the role of the president was not fully defined, and it was not clear if Randolph had resigned or was on a leave of absence.

John Hancock had to handle a great deal of official correspondence, and he found it necessary to hire clerks at his own expense to help with the paperwork.

Years later, Adams wrote that John Hancock had shown great disappointment at not getting the command for himself.

John Hancock admired and supported General Washington, even though Washington politely declined John Hancock's request for a military appointment.

John Hancock served in Congress through some of the darkest days of the Revolutionary War.

John Hancock wrote innumerable letters to colonial officials, raising money, supplies, and troops for Washington's army.

John Hancock chaired the Marine Committee and took pride in helping to create a small fleet of American frigates, including the USS Hancock, which was named in his honor.

John Hancock was president of Congress when the Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed.

John Hancock is primarily remembered by Americans for his large, flamboyant signature on the Declaration, so much so that "John Hancock" became, in the United States, an informal synonym for signature.

John Hancock sent a copy of the Dunlap broadside to George Washington, instructing him to have it read to the troops "in the way you shall think most proper".

John Hancock asked Washington to arrange a military escort for his return to Boston.

Back in Boston, John Hancock was re-elected to the House of Representatives.

John Hancock got along poorly with Samuel Adams and missed his wife and newborn son.

John Hancock nominally commanded 6,000 militiamen in the campaign, although he let the professional soldiers do the planning and issue the orders.

John Hancock suffered some criticism for the debacle but emerged from his brief military career with his popularity intact.

John Hancock was immensely popular and unquestionably patriotic given his personal sacrifices and his leadership of the Second Continental Congress.

John Hancock governed Massachusetts through the end of the Revolutionary War and into an economically troubled postwar period, repeatedly winning re-election by wide margins.

John Hancock took a hands-off approach to governing, avoiding controversial issues as much as possible.

The turmoil that John Hancock avoided ultimately blossomed as Shays' Rebellion, which John Hancock's successor Bowdoin had to deal with.

Governor John Hancock wrote to the governors of the islands on their behalf.

John Hancock was re-elected to annual terms as governor for the remainder of his life.

When he had resigned as governor in 1785, John Hancock was again elected as a delegate to Congress, known as the Confederation Congress after the ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1781.

John Hancock, who was not present at the Philadelphia Convention, had misgivings about the Constitution's lack of a bill of rights and its shift of power to a central government.

John Hancock mostly remained silent during the contentious debates, but as the convention was drawing to close, he gave a speech in favor of ratification.

John Hancock's support was probably a deciding factor in the ratification.

John Hancock was put forth as a candidate in the 1789 US presidential election.

John Hancock's health failing, Hancock spent his final few years as essentially a figurehead governor.

In 1876, with the centennial of American independence renewing popular interest in the Revolution, plaques honoring John Hancock were put up in Boston.

John Hancock suffered the misfortune of being known to later generations almost entirely through the judgments of his detractors, Tory and Whig.

Adams argued that John Hancock was a "fair presiding officer" but had "no great ability", and was prominent only because of his inherited wealth.

Since that time, historians have usually presented a more favorable portrait of John Hancock while acknowledging that he was not an important writer, political theorist, or military leader.

The defunct John Hancock University was named for him, as was the John Hancock Financial company, founded in Boston in 1862; it had no connection to Hancock's own business ventures.

John Hancock was a charter member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1780.