Who was the youngest signer of the United States Declaration of Independence?

Edward Rutledge was the youngest signer of the United States Declaration of Independence.

Rutledge was 26 years old when he signed the document as a delegate from South Carolina. He was part of a prominent South Carolina political family and served on the Committee of Five that reviewed Jefferson’s draft, although Jefferson wrote the main text.

The famous document contains 56 signatures, but the signing process was not as simple as one ceremony immediately after adoption. The engrossed parchment was signed primarily on August 2, while some delegates signed later. Benjamin Franklin, aged 70, was the oldest signer. John Hancock’s large signature became the most culturally recognizable, but Hancock was not the youngest.