Which Declaration of Independence signer was the youngest in 1776?

Edward Rutledge was the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Rutledge was 26 years old when he signed. He represented South Carolina in the Second Continental Congress and was part of a large group of delegates whose names became attached to the founding document.

Rutledge came from a prominent South Carolina family and trained as a lawyer in England. During the Revolution, he served in Congress and later held important political offices in South Carolina, including governor.

The youngest-signer fact is easy to confuse with the ages of other young revolutionary figures. Thomas Jefferson was 33 in 1776, while James Monroe was not a signer of the Declaration. Charles Carroll of Carrollton was among the later signers but was older than Rutledge.