Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, signing at age 70.
Franklin was already an internationally known scientist, printer, writer, diplomat, and statesman when he joined the revolutionary cause. His earlier experiments with electricity had made him famous in Europe, while his political work had connected the American colonies with British and French affairs.
As a Pennsylvania delegate to the Second Continental Congress, Franklin served on the Committee of Five that prepared the Declaration’s draft. Thomas Jefferson wrote the principal draft, but Franklin and the other committee members reviewed and amended it before Congress considered the document.
Franklin’s age is often compared with that of Edward Rutledge, the youngest signer at 26. The contrast illustrates the broad generational range of the revolutionary leadership. Franklin later helped negotiate the 1783 Treaty of Paris and participated in the 1787 Constitutional Convention.