Bidspirit auction | JOHN HANCOCK

JOHN HANCOCK - (1737 - 1793) American Revolutionary politician and first signer of the Declaration of Independence, President of the Continental Congress and two-time Governor of Massachusetts. War-date partly-printed D.S. 'John Hancock' as President of the Continental Congress, 1p. 12.25 x 8 in., Philadelphia, July 5, 1777 (one year and one day after the signing of the Declaration of Independence), an appointment of Isaac Melcher to serve as 'Barrack master general with the rank of Colonel'. Co-signed by Continental Congress Secretary CHARLES THOMSON (1729-1824). Significant repairs to splits with a few areas of paper loss carefully restored, trimmed, evenly toned, still an appealing document. Melcher, who was also an American Indian, held a position slightly below that of Quartermaster General and was charged with provisioning and outfitting Continental Army quarters in Philadelphia and the barracks of Convention troops in Virginia.