1735–1826 · Presidents · Founders

John Adams signature

Lawyer, diplomat and second President of the United States (1735–1826)

Inspired by John Adams’s signature

A rendering in a modern handwriting font, made for this page. It is not the real signature; see where to view the original below. Where to see the original ↓Style: Pinyon Script, slant 5°

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Pinyon Script · 5°

Who John Adams was

John Adams (1735–1826) was a Massachusetts lawyer who became one of the strongest voices for independence in the Continental Congress. He served as a diplomat in France, the Netherlands and Britain, as the first Vice President under George Washington, and as the second President from 1797 to 1801.

He was also one of the great writers among the founders. His diary and his letters with his wife Abigail and, late in life, with Thomas Jefferson are among the richest records of the period.

The story of the signature

Adams normally signed his full name, “John Adams”, without the contractions some of his contemporaries used. On the Declaration of Independence it stands in the Massachusetts group in the right-hand column, next to his second cousin Samuel Adams, Robert Treat Paine and Elbridge Gerry.

Most delegates signed the engrossed parchment on August 2, 1776, not on July 4. Adams himself expected July 2, the day Congress voted for independence, to become the great American holiday, as he wrote to Abigail on July 3.

In 1783 he signed the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war with Britain, together with Benjamin Franklin and John Jay. His son John Quincy Adams, the sixth president, often signed with his initials, “J. Q. Adams”, which helps tell their papers apart.

What makes it distinctive

Full name, no contraction

“John Adams” written out in full, where Washington and Jefferson shortened their first names.

A working hand

Adams wrote enormous amounts himself, and his signature is part of that everyday writing: a practical joined hand rather than a set piece.

Ordinary size

On the Declaration his name is written at a normal size, in sharp contrast to John Hancock’s large signature in the center.

How to give your signature a similar feel

For a signature that reads clearly, write your full first name and surname as Adams did. On the Type tab of the signature generator, Pinyon Script gives an English roundhand of the right period; keep Slant low, around 5°.
Use the Draw tab for a natural result: write your name at your usual speed instead of slowly copying a model. A signature that matches your everyday handwriting is easier to repeat.
Leave out the paraph and the underline. A clean, unadorned name is the point of this style.
Compare a few quieter scripts side by side in the signature fonts gallery before you choose.

Where to see the original

These links lead to archives, libraries, museums and Wikimedia Commons.

Questions about John Adams’s signature

Did John Adams sign the Declaration of Independence?

Yes. He signed the engrossed copy with the other Massachusetts delegates, and like most signers he did so on August 2, 1776.

How can I tell John Adams’s signature from John Quincy Adams’s?

The father signed “John Adams”; the son often used his initials, “J. Q. Adams”. Dates and the content of the document settle most cases.

What other famous documents did Adams sign?

Among others, the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which he signed with Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, and as president the acts of Congress he approved, including the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798.