In 1737, on this day American merchant and statesman John Hancock was born in Braintree in the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

Birth of John HancockHe was a prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress, but his election by a mere 3 votes, showing how thin support for the rebel cause was.

Although Hancock used his time in office to declare the independence of the American colonies, by 1778 he was ousted in favor of the more conciliatory John Jay, who negotiated a peace with the British. He is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence, so much so that the term "John Hancock" became, in America, a synonym for signature. An installment from the Canadian Revolution thread