John Hancock (January 23, 1737 [O.S.

January 12, 1736] – October 8, 1793) is a merchant, diplomat, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution.

He serves as president of the Second Continental Congress and is the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

He is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence, so much so that the term "John Hancock" has become, in the United States, a synonym for signature.

Before the American Revolution, Hancock is one of the wealthiest men in the Thirteen Colonies, having inherited a profitable shipping business from his uncle.

Hancock begins his political career in Boston as a protégé of Samuel Adams, an influential local politician, though the two men later become estranged.

As tensions between colonists and Great Britain increase in the 1760s, Hancock uses his wealth to support the colonial cause.

He becomes very popular in Massachusetts, especially after British officials seize his sloop Liberty in 1768 and charge him with smuggling.

Although the charges against Hancock are eventually dropped, he has often been described as a smuggler in historical accounts, but the accuracy of this characterization has been questioned.

Hancock is one of Boston's leaders during the crisis that leads to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1775.

He serves more than two years in the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and as president of Congress, is the first to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Hancock returns to Massachusetts and is elected governor of the Commonwealth, serving in that role for most of his remaining years.

He uses his influence to ensure that Massachusetts ratifies the United States Constitution in 1788.