Benjamin Franklin was 70 years old when he signed the United States Declaration of Independence.
Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts. By 1776, he had built a long career as a printer, publisher, scientist, inventor, civic organizer, and diplomat. His age made him the oldest of the declaration’s signers.
Franklin served Pennsylvania in the Second Continental Congress and was one of the five members of the committee that reviewed Thomas Jefferson’s draft. His European reputation was especially valuable as the new United States sought support and alliances abroad.
The age is sometimes confused with Franklin’s age at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, when he was 81. It is also distinct from the age of the youngest signer, Edward Rutledge, who was 26 in 1776.