Biography john hancock

About

JOHN HANCOCK, the first governor of Massachusetts and the first to sign the Declaration of Independence, was born in Braintree, (Quincy today) Massachusetts on January 12, After becoming an orphan at early age, Hancock was adopted and raised by his wealthy uncle. Hancock&#;s education was attained at the Boston Public Latin School, and at Harvard University, where he graduated in He worked in his uncle&#;s mercantile business, which he inherited in , when his uncle passed away. Hancock entered into a political career and quickly became known as a prominent force in revolutionary beliefs. He first won election to the Boston Assembly in He then served as a delegate and president of the Massachusetts Provincial församling in , was a member of the Continental Congress from to , served as president of the Continental Congress from to , and was a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention in He also served as governor of Massachusetts from to and to In the State Convention

•

Fun Facts About John Hancock

The Man Had “Chutzpah”

Although his background should have made him a loyalist, Hancock sympathized with his friends John Adams and Samuel Adams who were both patriots. He risked his fortune to support American independence by helping to raise money, secure troops and organize naval forces.

He Was A Rabble-Rouser

Hancock was considered a threat to the British because of his political views. In addition to protesting the Stamp Act and the Sugar Act and being a part of the Sons of Liberty, he was known for riling up the crowds at meetings during the Boston Tea Party. His famous phrase, “Let every man do what is right in his own eyes,” was said to insight the colonists to kamp British rule.

The British Were Coming…For Him

Hancock was in Boston on the night of Paul Revere’s famous ride. In fact, Revere warned him that the British were coming to arrest him and John Adams. He got the news just in time and he and Adams flydde from Lexington to Philadelp

•

“Some boast of being friends to government; I am a friend to righteous government, to a government founded upon the principles of reason and justice; but I glory in publicly avowing my eternal enmity to tyranny.”¹

John Hancock spoke these words during the Boston Massacre commemoration at Faneuil Hall. Hancock was considered an odd choice for speaker. Despite being one of the wealthiest and most popular men in Boston, Hancock was not renowned for his oratory or writing skills. His popularity meant the people of Boston liked John Hancock and wanted to hear him speak regardless of his skill.² Hancock leveraged his wealth into being a central part of the growing Revolutionary movement, and one of the most popular figures in Massachusetts.

Rising to such prominence, however, required no small amount of privilege. John Hancock inherited his wealth from his uncle, Thomas Hancock, in John Hancock’s father had passed away when Hancock was seven, making his uncle Thomas his caretaker. A