Rev. Col. John Hancock Jr. (June 1, 1702 – May 7, 1744) was a

colonial American American colonial architecture includes several building design styles associated with the colonial period of the United States, including First Period English (late-medieval), French Colonial, Spanish Colonial, Dutch Colonial, and Georgian. T ...

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the t ...

man, soldier, planter, politician, and father of politician John Hancock III. Hancock was born in

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...

, He was the son of Col. John Hancock Sr. and Elizabeth Clark.

Biography

Hancock graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

in 1719 and served as a librarian there from 1723 to 1726. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

on November 2, 1726, and settled in

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 101,636, making ...

, as pastor of United First Parish Church, Quincy, Massachusetts until his death.Weis, Frederick Lewis (1977). ''The colonial clergy and the colonial churche s of New England.'' Genealogical Pub. Co., He also owned one household slave. He died when his son John was seven years old, Soon after, John's mother sent him to live with his father's brother, Thomas Hancock.Barthelmas, Della Gray (1997). ''The signers of the Declaration of Independence: a biographical and genealogical reference.'' McFarland, Hancock Cemetery in Quincy is named in his honor.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hancock, John Jr. 1702 births 1744 deaths American slave owners Burials in Massachusetts Harvard College alumni Hancock family of Massachusetts Harvard University librarians Massachusetts colonial-era clergy People from Lexington, Massachusetts