Hancock, John

Hancock, John ( 1737 – 93 )
American Revolutionary leader. A radical Boston merchant who supplemented his inherited fortune by smuggling, he came into open conflict with British customs officers when his sloop Liberty was seized ( 1768 ). He was a generous backer of the patriot cause, helped to organize the Boston Tea Party, and as President of the Second Continental Congress was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence . He was first governor of independent Massachusetts.