Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, signing at age 70.
Franklin represented Pennsylvania in the Second Continental Congress and was one of the five members of the committee appointed to prepare the Declaration. Although Thomas Jefferson wrote the principal draft, Franklin helped review and shape the document before Congress adopted it.
Franklin's age and international experience made him an important figure in the revolutionary cause. He had served as a printer, scientist, diplomat, and colonial representative before joining the independence movement. His diplomatic work in France later helped secure crucial French support for the American war effort.
A frequent mistake is naming George Washington, who was the leading Continental Army general but did not sign the Declaration. Franklin was also not the oldest American founder in every possible context; this distinction specifically concerns the 56 signers of the Declaration.