Thirty-nine delegates signed the United States Constitution at Independence Hall on September 17, 1787.
The signing took place in Philadelphia at the final session of the Constitutional Convention. Although 55 delegates participated in the convention at some point, only 39 signed the completed document. Three delegates who were still present—Edmund Randolph, George Mason, and Elbridge Gerry—refused to sign, while others had already departed.
The 39 signers represented 12 states. Rhode Island did not send delegates to the convention, so it was not represented at the signing. George Washington, who presided over the convention, signed first. The remaining signatures were grouped by state in a north-to-south order.
The figure 39 is often mixed up with 55, the number of delegates who attended the convention, or 74, the number originally selected to attend. Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, was the oldest signer, while Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, was the youngest. The Constitution still required ratification by the states before it became effective.