John Hancock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 1 views
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John Hancock
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John Hancock (January 23, 1737 [O.S. January 12, 1736] – October 8, 1793) was a merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was 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 "John Hancock" became, in the United States, a synonym for "signature".
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John Hancock (January 23, 1737 [ O.S. January 12, 1736] – October 8, 1793) was a merchant, statesman, and prominent
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He served more than two years in the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and as president of Congress was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence.
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Hancock joined the resistance to the Stamp Act by participating in a boycott of British goods, which made him popular in Boston
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One month later, while the British warship HMS Romney was in port, one of the tidesmen changed his story: he now claimed that he had been forcibly held on the Liberty while it had been illegally unloaded.[
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Given the clandestine nature of smuggling, records are naturally scarce.[45] If Hancock was a smuggler, no documentation of this has been found. 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
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In April 1772, Hutchinson approved Hancock's election as colonel of the Boston Cadets, a militia unit whose primary function was to provide a ceremonial escort for the governor and the General Court
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On May 24, 1775, he was unanimously elected President of the Continental Congress, succeeding Peyton Randolph after Henry Middleton declined the nomination. Hancock was a good choice for president for several reasons.[84] He was experienced, having often presided over legislative bodies and town meetings in Massachusetts. His wealth and social standing inspired the confidence of moderate delegates, while his association with Boston radicals made him acceptable to other radicals
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October 1777, after more than two years in Congress, President Hancock requested a leave of absence.[104
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Hancock gradually took over the House of Hancock as his uncle's health failed, becoming a full partner in January 1763.