His signature communicates elegance, boldness, and a healthy portion of grandiosity. But behind the signature lies the true tale of a boy from simple upbringing fashioned into an 18th-century country squire.

John Hancock was born on January 12, 1737 in Braintree, Massachusetts into a Puritan Congregationalist heritage. His grandfather was nicknamed “The Bishop” because he was a tour de force of a Puritan minister. His presence and visage dictated obsequiousness from his parishioners. Mr. Hancock’s father was also a Congregationalist reverend who served at "Ye Church of Braintry." A short time after Rev. Hancock’s death, the church would become Unitarian in 1750, United First Parish Church. Interestingly enough, First Parish was the lifelong church home of John Adams and it was Rev. Hancock who baptized the future president as a young boy.

Mr. Hancock was seven when his father passed away. His departure placed much stress on his wife and their three children. The Bishop offered them his house as a place to reside, but he himself did not have sufficient funds to care for his daughter-in-law and the children. Fate intervened and his wealthy uncle, Thomas Hancock, offered lifelong financial security if Mrs. Hancock would permit her son to be adopted by the uncle and his wife for they were childless after 13 years of marriage. The agreement was made and the future Founding Father would be raised and trained with the refinement and opulence symbolized by his famous signature.

In time, John Hancock attended the prestigious Boston Public Latin School and then completed his education at Harvard College. Upon graduating, Thomas Hancock began training the young man in his mercantile business to become his partner. This took place on January 1, 1763 and in 1764, his uncle died and John became the mercantile titan of Boston.

His rise to prominence in the business world of the colonies coincided with a shift in British tax policy. The British Empire had just incurred more national debt as result of the costs of fighting the French for the past seven years and acquiring significant land in French Canada. The crown needed money and it looked to the coffers of the colonies for its servicing of debt and refilling of the treasury. Mr. Hancock wished to remain neutral on the issue. When the Stamp Act was introduced in 1765, his hand was forced. The reaction against the tax law was fierce, strong, and, at times, violent. Mobs began attacking wealthy, Boston merchants’ homes and properties. Knowing John Adams could protect him, he met with Mr. Adams and provided financial support for the protests in exchange for protection from the mob’s violent rantings. Unable to enforce the tax, Parliament repealed it. Ironically, news of the repeal was brought to the colonies on one of Mr. Hancock’s ships. He capitalized on this and held a party complete with fireworks that evening at his house. He further elevated his popularity with this party.

Other incidents involving his ships also grew his notoriety. In one situation, his men removed a customs official who had snuck onto the Lydia in search of taxable goods. The public cheered the action against the government’s representative. In another, the Liberty was impounded on suspicion of taxes not being paid on goods transported. A trial commenced on the two incidents in August 1768. John Adams defended him in court. Mr. Hancock was acquitted of any transgression.

Then in November, he was detained on the basis he was smuggling goods. Again, John Adams represented him in court. Samuel Adams represented his fight in the press. After a three-month trial, the government’s case proved to be ineffective and it dropped the charges. His fame rose even further.

After the repeal of the Townshend Act, peace returned to the Bostonian streets. Governor Hutchinson, in hopes of retaining Mr. Hancock’s allegiance to King George III, appointed him colonel of his honorary guard. His acceptance was an affront to Samuel Adams and he established the Committee of Correspondence, which formalized rebel communications. In three months, 80 such groups sprang up in the Massachusetts colony. The model would eventually spread to other colonies.

Mr. Hancock’s pivotal moment came when the governor’s private correspondence was published. In the letters, Governor Hutchinson indicates his consideration to suspend freedoms in the colony. In light of this, John Hancock had no choice but to join fully the patriotic cause and support John Adams’ call for the governor’s resignation.

In 1774, he was elected to the first Continental Congress. In ’75, he was selected president by the delegates. During the battle for independence, Mr. Hancock sent letters to state assemblies imploring them to supply military aid to the Continental Army. In one of the letters he wrote, “May the Great Disposer of all human Events, animate & guide your Councils, & enable you so to determine, that you may not only establish your own temporal Peace and Happiness, but those of your Posterity. Forgive this passionate Language. I am unable to restrain it–it is the Language of the Heart.”

This type of language was common for Mr. Hancock. It is noted he often framed America’s struggle against Great Britain with biblical texts. He used verbiage pointing to the sovereignty and goodness of the Supreme Being: “I am persuaded, under the gracious smiles of Providence, assisted by our own most strenuous endeavors, we shall finally succeed.” During his time as governor of Massachusetts, he stressed thankfulness to God, repentance of sin, and state policy structured by a biblical framework of justice. He was a lifelong member of Brattle Street Congregationalist Church.

His commitment to American success never wavered. Not only did John Hancock preside over the delegation that birthed the Declaration of Independence, but he was instrumental in meditating disputes between states regarding the Articles of Confederation and guest moderated the session of the House of Representatives that ratified the United States’ first constitution. In addition, he contributed significant sums of money to the birth of the new nation.

Regarding his quite visible signature on the Declaration of Independence, Mr. Hancock did not write a large signature on the document to taunt King George III. Due to his position as president, it was proper that he be the first to affix his name to the document and the center would be the reasonable place for the first signature. As well, unlike John Turnbull’s painting, the room was not full of delegates when he signed the Declaration. Only he and the secretary of the Continental Congress, Charles Thomson, were present.

John Hancock ended his life in serving his state and his nation once more. He served as governor of Massachusetts from 1780-85 and again from 1789-93. Between his periods of governorship, he was elected again as President of Congress in the fall of 1785. Gout prevented him traveling to Philadelphia. He resigned the next year. He returned to leading the Bay State in 1789 and served a total of nine terms. He died on October 8, 1793.