John Hancock - Boston, MA - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

John Hancock was a prominent Boston merchant who became an influential figure in the American Revolution. He was born in Braintree, MA on January 23, 1737 and was educated at Boston Latin School and Harvard College, class of 1754.

At the start of the American Revolution, John Hancock was a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress held in Philadelphia. On May 24, 1775, he was unanimously elected President of the Continental Congress. He was first to sign the Declaration of Independence with a now iconic signature. 1776, he had been appointed as the senior major general of the Massachusetts militia and in October 1777 he requested a leave of absence and returned to Boston.

August 1778, Hancock was in command of 6,000 militiamen as part of the campaign led by General John Sullivan in an unsuccessful plan to attack the British garrison at Newport, Rhode Island. Despite this failure, he retained his popularity and was elected Governor of Massachusetts in October 1780, a position he held until 1785. He became president of the convention that wrote the United States Constitution and served a second term as Governor from 1787 -1793.

John Hancock died on October 8, 1793, at 56 years of age. He is buried in the Granary Burying Ground in Boston, MA.

A 50" by 39" by 16" bronze bust of John Hancock is placed placed in circular niche of 80" by 50.5" by 16" rectangular bronze plaque. The the bust depicts the head neck and top of the shoulders. John Hancock is wearing a coat and ruffled shirt a high neck collar. The sculpture was created in 1915 by an unknown artist and cast by the Jno. Williams, Inc. foundry.

On the plaque below the bust is the inscription:

JOHN HANCOCK
1737-1793
A PATRIOT OF THE REVOLUTION
PRESIDENT OF THE PROVINCIAL CONGRESS 1774
PRESIDENT OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 1775-77
FIRST SIGNER OF
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
FIRST GOVERNOR OF THE COMMONWEALTH
UNDER THE STATE CONSTITUTION 1780-1785
AND AGAIN GOVERNOR 1787-1793
PRESIDENT OF THE CONVENTION
WHICH ADOPTED THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION

Below is an additional inscription:

PRESENTED TO THE COMMONWEALTH
BY THE SOCIETY OF THE SONS OF
THE REVOLUTION 1915

The Massachusetts State House is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. All visitors must enter through the General Hooker entrance.

TITLE: John Hancock ARTIST(S): Unknown artist; Jno. Williams, Inc. founder. DATE: 1915 MEDIUM: Bronze CONTROL NUMBER: IAS 20550045 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Doric Hall State House 24 Beacon Street Boston, MA DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: SIRIS truncates the inscription after 8th line, the word COMMONWEALTH The full inscriptions are: JOHN HANCOCK 1737-1793 A PATRIOT OF THE REVOLUTION PRESIDENT OF THE PROVINCIAL CONGRESS 1774 PRESIDENT OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 1775-77 FIRST SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE FIRST GOVERNOR OF THE COMMONWEALTH UNDER THE STATE CONSTITUTION 1780-1785 AND AGAIN GOVERNOR 1787-1793 PRESIDENT OF THE CONVENTION WHICH ADOPTED THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION and PRESENTED TO THE COMMONWEALTH BY THE SOCIETY OF THE SONS OF THE REVOLUTION 1915

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