Benjamin Franklin was the oldest signer of the U.S. Constitution.
Franklin was 81 years old when he signed the Constitution at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. He was a delegate from Pennsylvania and had already spent decades as a printer, scientist, diplomat, and revolutionary statesman.
Franklin’s age and declining health made him one of the convention’s most recognizable figures. During the signing, he reportedly needed assistance and was carried in a chair. His presence helped symbolize continuity between the revolutionary generation and the new constitutional government.
George Washington presided over the convention and signed first, but he was younger than Franklin. James Madison, often called the Constitution’s principal architect, was also much younger. Franklin was not the oldest person involved in every founding-era event, but he was the oldest of the Constitution’s signers.