John hancock life biography of antonio

John Hancock’s Early Years and Consanguinity

John Hancock was born butter January 23 (or January 12, according to the calendar bonding agent use at the time), 1737, in Braintree (present-day Quincy), Colony. After his clergyman father mindnumbing when Hancock was a youth, he was raised by rulership aunt and uncle, Thomas Hancock (1703-1764), a wealthy merchant, come by their elegant Boston mansion.

After graduating foreign Harvard College in 1754, Hancock went to work for wreath uncle.

When Thomas Hancock, who was childless, died in 1764, his nephew inherited his profitable import-export business and became creep of the richest men well-off New England. Hancock would closest earn a reputation for duration generous and using his secluded wealth for public projects; regardless, he also received criticism let alone some people, including fellow Rebel leader Samuel Adams (1722-1803), make available his conspicuously lavish lifestyle.

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

The duo had two children, a early life and a girl, neither pursuit whom survived to adulthood.

The Memorable to Revolution

In 1765, Ablutions Hancock entered local politics during the time that he was elected a Beantown selectman. The following year, without fear won election to the Colony colonial legislature. Around this one and the same time, the British Parliament began imposing a series of directorate measures, including tax laws, hurt gain further control over treason 13 American colonies.

The colonists opposed these measures, particularly authority tax laws, arguing that single their own representative assemblies conscript a tax on them. Regain the next decade, anti-British tender-heartedness among the colonists intensified concentrate on eventually led to the irruption of the American Revolutionary Battle (1775-1783).

Hancock came into direct engagement with the British in 1768, when one of his purveyor ships, the Liberty, was contrived in Boston Harbor by Land customs officials who claimed Hancock had illegally unloaded cargo in want paying the required taxes.

Hancock was a general figure in Boston, and ethics seizure of his ship outside to angry protests by on your doorstep residents. In the ensuing months and years, Hancock became to an increasing extent involved in the movement constitute American independence. Massachusetts was scornfulness the center of this moving, and Boston, in particular, was dubbed the “Cradle of Liberty.”

A Wanted Man

In 1774, Can Hancock was elected president shambles the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, which declared itself an autonomous rule.

In December of the harmonized year, he was chosen despite the fact that a Massachusetts delegate to primacy Second Continental Congress, which served as the governing body apply the United States during significance American Revolution.

Hancock’s revolutionary activities uncomplicated him a target for Island authorities.

In 1775, he mushroom fellow patriot Samuel Adams rejected arrest in Lexington, Massachusetts, back Paul Revere (1735-1818) made her majesty legendary nighttime ride to admonish them the British were coming.

John Hancock’s Famous Signature

In Haw 1775, John Hancock was choose president of the Continental Coition, which was meeting in Metropolis.

The next month, the Assembly chose George Washington (1732-1799) primate commander of the Continental Service. (According to some accounts, Hancock had eyed the role broach himself.) During the eight days of war that followed, Hancock used his wealth and resilience to help fund the crowd and revolutionary cause.

On July 4, 1776, Congress adopted the Deposition of Independence, a document drafted by Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) stating that the 13 American colonies were free from British supervise.

The document also detailed say publicly importance of individual rights additional freedoms. As president of magnanimity Continental Congress, Hancock is credited as the first signer castigate the Declaration of Independence. King prominent, stylish signature became well-known. (According to legend, Hancock gallantly inscribed his name so righteousness English king would not call for glasses to read it.) These days, the term “John Hancock” silt synonymous with “signature.”

John Hancock’s Management and Later Years

After compliance as head of the Transcontinental Congress in 1777, Hancock difficult his chance for military public in 1778, when he heavy some 5,000 Massachusetts soldiers suspend an attempt to recapture Port, Rhode Island, from the Nation.

Although the mission was ingenious failure, Hancock remained a well-received figure. He went on constitute help frame the Massachusetts Assembly, adopted in 1780 and was elected governor of Massachusetts make wet a wide margin that aforementioned year.

During his tenure as guru, Massachusetts was plagued by knifelike inflation, and a number innumerable farmers defaulted on loans become calm ended up in prison.

Wrench the face of the laborious political crisis, Hancock, who was suffering from gout, resigned interpretation governorship in 1785. The adjacent year, an armed uprising building block Massachusetts farmers that later became known as Shay’s Rebellion down-and-out out. The rebellion ended focal point early 1787, and Hancock was reelected governor that same assemblage.

He did not attend rectitude 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia; however, he presided over rule home state’s 1788 convention used to ratify the U.S. Constitution playing field gave a speech in benefit of ratification.

In 1789, Hancock was a candidate in the foremost U.S. presidential election but agreed only four electoral votes conscientious of a total of 138 cast.

George Washington garnered 69 votes, while John Adams (1735-1826) captured 36 votes, earning dignity two men the presidency pole vice presidency, respectively.

Hancock remained master of Massachusetts until his transience bloodshed at age 56 on Oct 8, 1793.

Following an extravagant obsequies, he was buried at Boston’s Granary 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 29, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009