John Hancock's John Hancock

Leadership generally begins by attracting attention. This week we celebrate the birthday of a man whose flair for calling attention to himself is immortalized on our Declaration of Independence. John Hancock, who drew the first signature on the Declaration so big, he said, that the King of England could read it without his glasses, is our subject this week. Ever since then, people often refer to any signature on any document as their "John Hancock."

John Hancock’s father died when John was just a boy, and he was adopted by his uncle, the wealthiest merchant in Boston. After graduating from Harvard and taking over his uncle’s business, Hancock began using his influence for political purposes. In 1768, the crew of a Hancock ship locked the British customs official in the ship’s hold and unloaded the cargo without paying duties. From that point, the British considered Hancock a dangerous man and American patriots considered him a leader.

In the 1770s, he worked with Sam Adams for American independence, and on the night of Paul Revere’s famous ride the British were hoping to find and arrest John Hancock first and foremost. He served as president of the Continental Congress from 1775 to 1777 and as the first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The only job he really wanted but didn’t get was commander of the revolutionary armies. That job, of course, went to an even greater leader – George Washington.