John Hancock Signed Document.

HANCOCK, John.

Item Number: 119677

Rare document signed by John Hancock, Governor of Massachusetts. Boldly signed “John Hancock” on the upper left corner. Hancock‘s signature is an exceptional example. Countersigned by Secretary of the Commonwealth John Avery, Jr. as “John Avery jun Secy” at center bottom. Featuring a large paper seal showing a gorgeous impression of the Massachusetts state seal in the upper left corner. Massachusetts Governor Hancock appointed one “Joseph Green Gentleman” as “Captain of the thirteenth company, in the second Regiment and in the Ninth Division of the Militia of this Commonwealth comprehending the County of Berkshire.” Matted and displayed to the right of a G. Barrie & Sons print of Hancock after the original painting by John Singleton Copley, with accompanying engraved name plates. Not examined out of the frame. The size of the document is 15.5 inches by 12.5 inches. Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 28.5 inches by 19.75 inches.  Rare and desirable.

John Hancock was an American 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 the term "John Hancock" has become, in the United States, a synonym for a signature. Before the American Revolution, Hancock was one of the wealthiest men in the Thirteen Colonies, having inherited a profitable mercantile business from his uncle. Hancock began his political career in Boston as a protégé of Samuel Adams, an influential local politician, though the two men later became estranged. As tensions between colonists and Great Britain increased in the 1760s, Hancock used his wealth to support the colonial cause. He became very popular in Massachusetts, especially after British officials seized his sloop Liberty in 1768 and charged him with smuggling. Although the charges against Hancock were eventually dropped, he has often been described as a smuggler in historical accounts, but the accuracy of this characterization has been questioned. Hancock was one of Boston's leaders during the crisis that led to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1775. 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. Hancock returned to Massachusetts and was elected governor of the Commonwealth, serving in that role for most of his remaining years. He used his influence to ensure that Massachusetts ratified the United States Constitution in 1788.