Which Declaration of Independence signer was the youngest at age 26?

Edward Rutledge was the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence, signing at age 26.

Rutledge represented South Carolina in the Second Continental Congress. Born in Charleston in 1749, he had studied law in London before returning to South Carolina and entering colonial politics. His age made him one of the youngest major participants in the founding crisis.

Rutledge later served in the South Carolina legislature, the state senate, and as governor. During the Revolutionary War, British forces captured him in 1780 during the Siege of Charleston along with fellow Declaration signers Arthur Middleton and Thomas Heyward Jr.

The youngest signer is sometimes confused with the youngest delegate or with later members of the founding generation. Benjamin Franklin stood at the opposite end of the age range: at 70, he was the oldest signer of the Declaration.