John Hancock

John Hancock (1737–1793) was a Massachusetts merchant and statesman whose theological convictions, shaped by Congregationalist principles emphasizing civic virtue and moral leadership, informed his political philosophy articulated in works such as *Rulers Should Be Benefactors*. His synthesis of Protestant theology with republican ideology positioned him as a significant intellectual figure in the American Revolution, arguing that legitimate authority derived from divine sanction coupled with the ruler's obligation to promote the public good. Hancock's theological-political thought exemplified the broader eighteenth-century American Protestant engagement with questions of governance, liberty, and the moral foundations of civil society.