1822–1885 · Presidents

Ulysses S. Grant signature

Union general in the Civil War and 18th President of the United States (1822–1885)

Inspired by Ulysses S. Grant’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: Herr Von Muellerhoff, slant 14°

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Herr Von Muellerhoff · 14°

Who Ulysses S. Grant was

Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) was born Hiram Ulysses Grant in Point Pleasant, Ohio. He rose from an obscure former army officer to command all the Union armies, accepted Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox in April 1865, and served two terms as the 18th President, from 1869 to 1877.

In his last year, ill with throat cancer and short of money, he wrote his Personal Memoirs and finished them days before his death. Mark Twain’s publishing firm brought them out, and they sold enormously.

The story of the signature

Grant’s signature began with a mistake. When Congressman Thomas Hamer nominated him to West Point in 1839, he entered the name as Ulysses S. Grant, apparently assuming a middle name taken from his mother’s maiden name, Simpson. The Academy registered him that way, and Grant eventually kept it.

He said the S stood for nothing, and he signed “U. S. Grant”. His classmates read the initials as Uncle Sam and called him Sam. In 1862 newspapers read them as “Unconditional Surrender” after his demand for exactly that from the Confederate commander at Fort Donelson.

His signature is quick and businesslike, much like his writing in general. Grant drafted many of his own orders, including the surrender terms he wrote out for Lee at Appomattox.

What makes it distinctive

Two initials

The “U. S.” pair turns a long name into a short, rhythmic signature.

Little ornament

A fast, practical signature from a man who signed orders all day.

Initials that became a nickname

The same two letters gave him “Sam” at West Point and “Unconditional Surrender” Grant in the press.

How to give your signature a similar feel

Two initials and a surname make a strong, compact signature. Type yours in the signature generator with full stops and spaces, as in “U. S. Grant”.
Herr Von Muellerhoff on the Type tab gives the fast, slanted pen of a busy writer. Push Slant to about 14° for momentum.
On the Draw tab, sign at your normal speed or a little faster. The pad reacts to speed the way a pen does, so a brisk stroke shows in the line.
Keep the initials evenly spaced. Crowded together, they start to read as a monogram rather than a name.

Where to see the original

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

Questions about Ulysses S. Grant’s signature

What does the S in Ulysses S. Grant stand for?

Nothing, by Grant’s own account. The S came from an error in his 1839 West Point nomination; his birth name was Hiram Ulysses Grant.

How did Grant usually sign?

“U. S. Grant”: both initials and his surname.

Who published Grant’s memoirs?

Charles L. Webster & Company, the publishing firm owned by Mark Twain, in 1885 and 1886. Grant finished the manuscript shortly before he died in July 1885.