The Signers’ Gallery (2024)

Accordion

Who was the oldest Signer in 1776?

Benjamin Franklin was the oldest Signer at 70 years old. He was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts.

How many Signers were born in Europe?

Eight Signers were born in Europe. James Smith, George Taylor and Matthew Thorton were born in Ireland. Robert Morris and Button Gwinnett were born in England. James Wilson and John Witherspoon were born in Scotland. Finally, Francis Lewis was born in Wales.

Which Signer had the most children?

Carter Braxton with 18 children from two marriages.Carter Braxton had 18 children. Two of them were born in his first marriage to Judith Robinson. After her death, Braxton was remarried to Elizabeth Corbin and had 16 more children.

Which Signer was also a musician?

Francis Hopkinson was a lawyer and an accomplished poet, satirist, harpsichordist, and composer. His song, “My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free,” a Thomas Parnell poem set to music, is the first known nonreligious song by a native-born American composer.

What happened on July 4, 1826?

In an event of historic coincidence, both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4,1826: the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It is rumored that late in the afternoon before John Adams died, unaware of the passing of Jefferson, he said “Thomas Jefferson survives.”

Which Signer lived the longest?

Charles Carroll of Carrollton was the longest-lived and last surviving Signer. He died in 1832 at the age of 95.

How many Signers were also clergymen?

Two: John Witherspoon was a Presbyterian minister, and Lyman Hall was a pastor, teacher, and physician.

Which colony had the largest number of representatives?

Pennsylvania had the largest number of representatives with nine Signers. The second largest group came from Virginia, which had seven Signers.

Who was the youngest Signer?

Two of the Signers were 26 at the time of the signing. Edward Rutledge (November 23, 1749) edged out Thomas Lynch Jr. (August 5, 1749) by just over three months to be the youngest Signer.

How many signers were physicians? Lawyers? Printers?

Four signers were physicians, 24 were lawyers, and one was a printer. The remaining signers were mostly merchants or plantation owners.

View the Signers Fact Sheet if you would like to learn more about the Signers. Signers Fact Sheet: PDF Format | HTML Format

Back to Signers Gallery Page

The Signers’ Gallery (2024)

FAQs

Are there any photos of the founding fathers? ›

In fact, none of the first five presidents — Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe — were ever photographed, but every president after them, starting with John Quincy Adams, was photographed.

How old was the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence? ›

Two future presidents, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, were among the signatories. Edward Rutledge (age 26) was the youngest signer, and Benjamin Franklin (age 70) was the oldest signer.

Who was the oldest founding father in 1776? ›

Who was the oldest Signer in 1776? Benjamin Franklin was the oldest Signer at 70 years old. He was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Where is the Declaration of Independence kept today? ›

Located on the upper level of the National Archives museum, the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom is the permanent home of the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, and Bill of Rights.

Are any descendants of the Founding Fathers alive? ›

Do any of the founding fathers of the United States have living descendants today? - Quora. Yes, quite a number of them do including such esteemed statesmen as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin, as well as others.

Which Founding Father was not born in America? ›

The exceptions were Alexander Hamilton (from the West Indies), James Wilson (Scotland), William Richardson Davie and Robert Morris (England), and the four delegates born in Ireland. Here's a look at the four men who played varying roles in the Constitution's creation.

Who was the longest living founding father? ›

Carroll died on November 14, 1832, at age 95, in Baltimore. He holds the distinction of being the oldest lived Founding Father. He had outlived four of the first five U.S. presidents.

How old were the Founding Fathers when they died? ›

Signers of the Declaration of Independence
NameState Rep.Age at Death
Huntington, SamuelCT64
Jefferson, ThomasVA83
Lee, Francis LightfootVA62
Lee, Richard HenryVA62
42 more rows
Nov 3, 2023

How tall were the Founding Fathers? ›

Jefferson was six feet two and a half inches tall, lean in build, red haired and “straight as a gun barrel.” Madison was barely five feet and five inches, barely a hundred pounds, blue eyed, balding and “but a withered little apple-john.”

Who is the least known Founding Father? ›

— The inner circle of founders has been set for as long as anyone can remember – Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Hamilton and Madison. Almost never mentioned is John Jay.

Who was the most loved Founding Father? ›

Perhaps the best remembered Founding Father, George Washington was the commander of the Continental Army, worked with France to gain allies to fight the British, and became the First President of the United States in 1789.

Who was the last alive Founding Father? ›

Madison was the last Founding Father to die at the age of eighty-five in June, 1836. His Politics: His presidency was marred by the War of 1812—the only war in which U.S. soil was overrun by enemy forces.

What is the first sentence of the U.S. Constitution? ›

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of ...

What is the only other language used in the Constitution? ›

The only language besides English used in the Constitution is Latin.

What did Abraham Lincoln believe about the Declaration of Independence? ›

The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. Unlike the other founding documents, the Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but it is powerful. Abraham Lincoln called it “a rebuke and a stumbling-block to tyranny and oppression.”

Are there any photographs of Thomas Jefferson? ›

Thomas Jefferson's image was taken from life at least twenty-five times, from the romanticized representation of a minister to France at age forty-three by Mather Brown to John H. I. Browere's life mask of the sage of Monticello in his eighty-third year.

How do we know what the Founding Fathers looked like? ›

By incorporating flesh, hair, and other intricate details, I aimed to reveal how these individuals might have looked in daguerreotypes and photographs. Our understanding of these historical figures primarily relies on surviving engravings, drawings, paintings, and sculptures housed in museums and historical sites.

Is there a photo of Andrew Jackson? ›

This portrait of Andrew Jackson was most likely taken by Edward Anthony in 1844 or 1845, just months before Jackson's death. Anthony traveled to the Hermitage to photograph the former president in a series of daguerreotypes.

Who is the most unknown Founding Father? ›

The most important unknown founder is a peg-legged guy from New York named Gouverneur Morris. Everybody knows who wrote the Declaration of Independence. Nobody knows who wrote the Constitution. Gouverneur Morris single handedly took all the drafts and put them together in a week and gave the Constitution its shape.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Lilliana Bartoletti

Last Updated:

Views: 5754

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (53 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lilliana Bartoletti

Birthday: 1999-11-18

Address: 58866 Tricia Spurs, North Melvinberg, HI 91346-3774

Phone: +50616620367928

Job: Real-Estate Liaison

Hobby: Graffiti, Astronomy, Handball, Magic, Origami, Fashion, Foreign language learning

Introduction: My name is Lilliana Bartoletti, I am a adventurous, pleasant, shiny, beautiful, handsome, zealous, tasty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.