The Complete Chronological List of Signers of the Declaration of Independence
When we think about the Declaration of Independence, our minds instantly go to the Fourth of July. We picture Thomas Jefferson writing his famous words, or John Hancock boldly writing his massive signature across the middle of the parchment so King George III wouldn't need his spectacles to read it.
But here is a piece of secret history that usually surprises kids: the Declaration of Independence wasn’t actually signed on July 4, 1776!
While the Continental Congress officially adopted the words of the Declaration on July 4th, it took weeks for a scribe to neatly hand-letter the official copy onto a large sheet of protective parchment. The actual, high-stakes signing ceremony didn't begin until August 2, 1776.
Putting your name on that paper was an act of incredible courage. By signing it, these 56 men were committing high treason against the British Crown. If the Revolutionary War failed, their signatures were an open confession that could cost them their property, their families, and their lives.
To help your students understand who these brave founders were, we have put together the complete chronological list of the signers, organized by the geographic order of the states they represented from north to south.
The Signers Grouped by State (North to South)
When the delegates stepped up to the table in Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall), they didn't sign in alphabetical order. Instead, they grouped their signatures together by the colony they represented, starting with the northernmost state of New Hampshire and traveling all the way down the coast to Georgia.
New Hampshire
- Josiah Bartlett (First to sign after John Hancock!)
- William Whipple
- Matthew Thornton (Signed late in November 1776)
Massachusetts
- John Hancock (The bold President of the Congress)
- Samuel Adams (The fiery organizer of the Sons of Liberty)
- John Adams (The future 2nd President of the United States)
- Robert Treat Paine
- Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island
- Stephen Hopkins (The oldest signer at age 69)
- William Ellery
Connecticut
- Roger Sherman (The only person to sign all four major U.S. founding documents)
- Samuel Huntington
- William Williams
- Oliver Wolcott
New York
- William Floyd
- Philip Livingston
- Francis Lewis
- Lewis Morris
New Jersey
- Richard Stockton
- John Witherspoon (The only active college president and minister to sign)
- Francis Hopkinson (The artist who helped design the American flag)
- John Hart
- Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania
- Robert Morris (The financial genius who funded the Revolution)
- Benjamin Rush (The famous historic doctor)
- Benjamin Franklin (The world-famous inventor and oldest signer at age 70(
- John Morton
- George Clymer
- James Smith
- George Taylor
- James Wilson
- George Ross
Delaware
- Caesar Rodney (Famously rode his horse through a midnight storm to cast the tie-breaking vote for independence)
- George Read
- Thomas McKean (The very last person to sign, likely in 1777 or 1781)
Maryland
- Samuel Chase
- William Paca
- Thomas Stone
- Charles Carroll of Carrollton (The only Catholic signer, and the longest-living signer—he survived until 1832!)
Virginia
- George Wythe
- Richard Henry Lee (The man who first made the official motion to break away from Britain)
- Thomas Jefferson (The primary author of the text and future 3rd President)
- Benjamin Harrison
- Thomas Nelson Jr.
- Francis Lightfoot Lee
- Carter Braxton
North Carolina
- William Hooper
- Joseph Hewes
- John Penn
South Carolina
- Edward Rutledge (The youngest person to sign at just 26 years old)
- Thomas Heyward Jr.
- Thomas Lynch Jr.
- Arthur Middleton
Georgia
- Button Gwinnett
- Lyman Hall
- George Walton
At-a-Glance Signature Records Matrix
| The Record Title | The Signer's Name | State Represented | The Historic Fun Fact |
| The Youngest Signer | Edward Rutledge | South Carolina | Just 26 years old; younger than many modern college graduate students! |
| The Oldest Signer | Benjamin Franklin | Pennsylvania | 70 years old; he famously joked, "We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately." |
| The Document Master | Roger Sherman | Connecticut | The only founder to sign the Continental Association, the Declaration, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. |
| The Ultimate Survivor | Charles Carroll | Maryland | The last surviving signer of the Declaration; lived to see America turn 56 years old. |
Summary for Kids: Standing up for Your Ideas
Looking at the list of these 56 individuals reminds us that independence wasn't just won on a battlefield—it was won on a piece of paper by everyday leaders who were willing to risk everything for a big idea. They were lawyers, doctors, farmers, and merchants. When they picked up that quill pen, they weren't just writing their names; they were pledging their lives to build a free country where everyday citizens could govern themselves.
What do you think?
If you were standing inside Independence Hall in August 1776, would you have wanted your signature to be big and bold like John Hancock’s, or small and tucked away safely in a corner?
