Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer of the United States Constitution.
Franklin was 81 when he signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia. He represented Pennsylvania at the Constitutional Convention and was one of its most prominent elder statesmen. His public career also included work as a printer, scientist, inventor, diplomat, and revolutionary leader.
Franklin’s role at the convention was often conciliatory. He supported compromise among delegates who disagreed about representation, federal power, and the relationship between large and small states. His signature connected the constitutional founding with the earlier revolutionary generation.
George Washington presided over the convention but was not its oldest signer. James Madison, much younger, played a major role in drafting and explaining the Constitution. Franklin’s age is therefore a specific biographical fact, not a claim that he wrote the whole document or served as its president.