Who appears on the obverse of the 2026 United States Declaration of Independence quarter?

Thomas Jefferson appears on the obverse of the 2026 United States Declaration of Independence quarter.

Jefferson is depicted on the front of the quarter because he was the principal drafter of the Declaration of Independence. The coin’s reverse shows the Liberty Bell and identifies the Declaration as its historical subject, connecting the two sides through the founding document’s story.

Jefferson wrote the original draft in June 1776 while serving on the Committee of Five appointed by the Second Continental Congress. The document was adopted on July 4, 1776, although the formal signing process continued afterward.

The coin should not be confused with a general portrait coin honoring Jefferson. Its obverse portrait is part of a specific five-quarter anniversary series, while its reverse is the side that carries the Declaration-themed imagery.