Who was the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence, whose legacy features in America250?

Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence, whose legacy features in America250.

Franklin was 70 when he signed the document. By 1776, he was an internationally respected printer, scientist, inventor, diplomat, and political leader. He represented Pennsylvania in the Second Continental Congress and served on the five-member committee that prepared the Declaration.

Franklin’s signature appears among the 56 names on the engrossed parchment. He also helped secure French support for the American cause, serving as a diplomat in France during the Revolutionary War.

The youngest signer was Edward Rutledge of South Carolina, who was 26. Franklin was not the oldest founding-era figure in every setting, but he is specifically identified as the oldest of the Declaration’s signers. His son William Franklin, a Loyalist, remained aligned with Britain.