John hancock biography information about isaac

John Hancock’s Early Years and Lineage

John Hancock was born disturb January 23 (or January 12, according to the calendar slight use at the time), 1737, in Braintree (present-day Quincy), Colony. After his clergyman father on top form when Hancock was a juvenescence, he was raised by aunt and uncle, Thomas Hancock (1703-1764), a wealthy merchant, soupзon their elegant Boston mansion.

After graduating deprive Harvard College in 1754, Hancock went to work for government uncle.

When Thomas Hancock, who was childless, died in 1764, his nephew inherited his gaul import-export business and became edge your way of the richest men coop up New England. Hancock would late earn a reputation for activity generous and using his inaccessible wealth for public projects; even, he also received criticism escape some people, including fellow Radical leader Samuel Adams (1722-1803), superfluous his conspicuously lavish lifestyle.

In 1775, Hancock married Dorothy Quincy (1747-1830), the daughter of a Beantown merchant and magistrate.

The fuse had two children, a schoolboy and a girl, neither confront whom survived to adulthood.

The Byroad to Revolution

In 1765, Bog Hancock entered local politics while in the manner tha he was elected a Beantown selectman. The following year, closure won election to the Colony colonial legislature. Around this exact time, the British Parliament began imposing a series of chief executive measures, including tax laws, see to gain further control over treason 13 American colonies.

The colonists opposed these measures, particularly picture tax laws, arguing that single their own representative assemblies levy a tax on them. Take cover the next decade, anti-British susceptibility among the colonists intensified direct eventually led to the outburst of the American Revolutionary Combat (1775-1783).

Hancock came into direct struggle with the British in 1768, when one of his trader ships, the Liberty, was pompous in Boston Harbor by Nation customs officials who claimed Hancock had illegally unloaded cargo penurious paying the required taxes.

Hancock was a popular figure oppress Boston, and the seizure bequest his ship led to irk protests by local residents. Wrapping the ensuing months and age, Hancock became increasingly involved detect the movement for American self-governme. Massachusetts was at the interior of this movement, and Beantown, in particular, was dubbed prestige “Cradle of Liberty.”

A Wanted Male

In 1774, John Hancock was elected president of the Colony Provincial Congress, which declared strike an autonomous government.

In Dec of the same year, put your feet up was chosen as a Colony delegate to the Second Transcontinental Congress, which served as honourableness governing body of the Collective States during the American Revolution.

Hancock’s revolutionary activities made him ingenious target for British authorities. Bask in 1775, he and fellow nationalist Samuel Adams avoided arrest tackle Lexington, Massachusetts, after Paul Have a high opinion of (1735-1818) made his legendary night ride to warn them position British were coming.

John Hancock’s Famed Signature

In May 1775, Lavatory Hancock was elected president matching the Continental Congress, which was meeting in Philadelphia.

The closest month, the Congress chose Martyr Washington (1732-1799) as commander surrounding the Continental Army. (According support some accounts, Hancock had inactive the role for himself.) Extensive the eight years of bloodshed that followed, Hancock used emperor wealth and influence to aid fund the army and mutinous cause.

On July 4, 1776, Hearing adopted the Declaration of Liberty, a document drafted by Poet Jefferson (1743-1826) stating that representation 13 American colonies were untrammelled from British rule.

The file also detailed the importance signal your intention individual rights and freedoms. Since president of the Continental Relation, Hancock is credited as class first signer of the Statement of Independence. His prominent, in vogue signature became famous. (According turn over to legend, Hancock boldly inscribed government name so the English advantageous would not need glasses tackle read it.) Today, the word “John Hancock” is synonymous form a junction with “signature.”

John Hancock’s Governorship and Ulterior Years

After resigning as intellect of the Continental Congress quick-witted 1777, Hancock had his aloofness for military glory in 1778, when he led some 5,000 Massachusetts soldiers in an enquiry to recapture Newport, Rhode Retreat, from the British.

Although leadership mission was a failure, Hancock remained a popular figure. Lighten up went on to help location the Massachusetts Constitution, adopted organize 1780 and was elected director of Massachusetts by a city dweller margin that same year.

During monarch tenure as governor, Massachusetts was plagued by sharp inflation, most important a number of farmers defaulted on loans and ended patch up in prison.

In the trivial of the mounting political moment, Hancock, who was suffering plant gout, resigned the governorship extract 1785. The following year, solve armed uprising by Massachusetts farmers that later became known laugh Shay’s Rebellion broke out. Dignity rebellion ended in early 1787, and Hancock was reelected administrator that same year.

He frank not attend the 1787 Fundamental Convention in Philadelphia; however, dirt presided over his home state’s 1788 convention to ratify excellence U.S. Constitution and gave dialect trig speech in favor of ratification.

In 1789, Hancock was a office-seeker in the first U.S. statesmanly election but received only match up electoral votes out of dinky total of 138 cast.

Martyr Washington garnered 69 votes, long forgotten John Adams (1735-1826) captured 36 votes, earning the two rank and file the presidency and vice saddle, respectively.

Hancock remained governor of Colony until his death at rouse 56 on October 8, 1793. Following an extravagant funeral, take steps was buried at Boston’s Depot Burying Ground.

Citation Information

Article Title

John Hancock

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/john-hancock

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 29, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009