John Hancock Written by, Dr. Joseph John Ellis
The man whose name heads the list of signers of the Declaration of Independence, John Hancock was a Boston patriot and a leader of the American Revolution. His prominent signature is familiar to anyone who has seen a picture of that document.
John Hancock was born on Jan. 12, 1737, in Braintree, Mass. His father died when John was a child, and he was adopted by his uncle, a rich Boston merchant. Hancock inherited his uncle's wealth when he was 28 years old. In 1768 his sloop, Liberty, was seized by British authorities for nonpayment of duty. Its cargo of wine had been smuggled ashore. The seizure precipitated a riot on shore. The British used the ship as a coast guard vessel until it was burned by a patriot mob in Newport, R.I.
The episode was a prelude to the Revolution. Hancock's opposition to British rule was no doubt inspired by business interest, but, whatever his motives, he was valuable to the cause. In 1770, after the Boston Massacre, he was one of the committee that went to the governor to demand the removal of British troops from the city. At the funeral of the victims he delivered an address that led to an order for his arrest. He presided at the revolutionary Provincial Congress that met in Concord and later in Cambridge, and his arrest was one of the objects of the British expedition to Concord. This expedition led to the battle of Lexington and Concord.
Elected president of the Second Continental Congress in 1775, Hancock held that office for two years. In 1780 he became the first elected governor of Massachusetts and, except for two years (1785-87), held that office until his death. The support he was persuaded to give to the Federal Constitution in 1788 was the decisive factor in the struggle for ratification in Massachusetts.
Hancock was a man of strong common sense and sound patriotism. His wealth, social position, and education were of great help to the colonial cause. He died on Oct. 8, 1793, in Quincy, Mass.
