Edward Rutledge was the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Rutledge was 26 years old when he signed the document. He represented South Carolina in the Second Continental Congress and was part of the delegation that supported independence during the revolutionary crisis.
Rutledge later served South Carolina in several political roles, including governor. His career illustrates that the group remembered as the Founding Fathers included men of very different ages and backgrounds, from the elderly Benjamin Franklin to young delegates such as Rutledge.
Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin are more commonly remembered in connection with the Declaration, but Rutledge is the correct answer for the youngest signer. Charles Carroll of Carrollton, another Maryland signer, was among the later additions to the delegation and became the last surviving signer, dying in 1832.