| Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 May 1747 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | 3 February 1830 (aged 82) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Occupation | 1st and 3rd First Lady of Massachusetts |
| Successor | Elizabeth Adams |
| Spouse | John Hancock (1737–1793) m 1775 James Scott (1796–1809) m 1796 |
| Children | Lydia Henchman Hancock, John George Washington Hancock |
| Relatives | Judge Edmund Quincy, Elizabeth Wendell |
Dorothy Quincy Hancock Scott ( /ˈkwɪnzi/; 10 May 1747 – 3 February 1830) was an American hostess, the daughter of Justice Edmund Quincy of Braintree and Boston.[1] Her aunt, also named Dorothy Quincy, was the subject of Oliver Wendell Holmes' poem Dorothy Q.[2]
She was raised at the Quincy Homestead in what is now Quincy, Massachusetts. The house in which she lived has been designated a National Historic Landmark, and is known as the Dorothy Quincy House.
In 1775, Quincy wed John Hancock, who would become the first and third Governor of Massachusetts and the first signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. They were married at the Thaddeus Burr Mansion in Fairfield, Connecticut. Hancock's nickname for his wife was "Dolly," as evidenced by correspondence between the couple.[3] The couple had two children together, neither of whom lived to see their teenage years: Lydia Henchman Hancock, who died at about ten months, and John George Washington Hancock, who fell on the ice while skating at pond in Milton and died shortly after, aged nine, in 1787. Hancock himself died in 1793.
In 1796, Quincy married Captain James Scott (1742–1809), who had been employed by Hancock as a captain in his trading ventures with England. They lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and had no children together. When Captain Scott died, Dorothy moved back into the Hancock Mansion at 30 Beacon Street in Boston for about 10 years. After that time she lived at 4 Federal Street in Boston.
Dorothy was a well known hostess and a great deal was written about her. Many chroniclers of the time note that she was not only beautiful, but well spoken and intelligent. She witnessed the Battle of Lexington while staying with her future husband's aunt, Lydia Hancock, at the home of Rev. Jonas Clark.[4] When Hancock told her after the battle that she could not go back to her father in Boston, she retorted, "Recollect Mr. Hancock, that I am not under your control yet. I shall go to my father tomorrow."[5]