John Hancock Military Commision Signed as Governor of Massachusetts.

HANCOCK, John.

Item Number: 143823

Military commission signed by John Hancock in 1787 as Governor of Massachusetts. One page, partially printed, bound in boards with gilt titles to the front panel. The document appoints Peter Ayer to the rank of “Ensign of the Seventh company in the fourth Regiment and in the Brigades of the Second Division of the Militia of this Commonwealth, comprehending the County of Essex.” Dated October 8th 1787 and signed by John Hancock at left beneath the Massachusetts seal. Countersigned by John Avery Jr. as Secretary of the Commonwealth and on the verso by Col. John Brickett of Haverhill. Bound with n autograph transmittal letter signed by Brickett. In very good condition. Housed in a custom display case. The document measures 18 inches by 12.75 inches. The entire piece measures 18.5 inches by 15.5 inches.

When, in 1780, Massachusetts approved a state constitution, Hancock was elected the first governor of the commonwealth, serving until his surprising resignation due to ill health in 1785. After the disastrous outbreak of Shays' Rebellion, Hancock ran for the governorship again and easily won a second term in 1787, serving until 1793 and leading Massachusetts "at a time when a national movement was under way to replace the Articles of Confederation with a new constitution. This movement resulted in the convening of the Constitutional Convention in May 1787. When as governor Hancock received the proposed federal Constitution for ratification, he summoned a joint session of the Massachusetts House and Senate and laid the document before it" (ANB). Hancock was promptly named President of the Constitutional Convention in January 1788—at a time when Federalist and Anti-Federalist divisions over ratification of the federal Constitution seemed to threaten America's revolutionary cause. In truth, "the entire future of the United States was at stake" (Maier, 17). Amidst heated debate, Hancock made a speech that ultimately sealed approval of the U.S. Constitution. "The question now before you," he said to the delegates, "is such as no nation on earth, without the limits of America, have ever had the privilege of deciding upon… we must all rise or fall together." At his urging Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Historians agree: "without Hancock's support it seems unlikely that ratification would have occurred. This was Hancock's finest moment, for without the support of Massachusetts the entire constitutional effort might have failed." Hancock was "a key figure in securing independence and creating the republic… and he played a critical role in promoting harmony among the founding fathers at important moments in the revolutionary era" (ANB).