Signers' Biographies
Read 89 new biographies of the delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, as compiled by leading historian Carol Berkin. Also included are the three delegates who declined to sign the Constitution.
View Who Signed
Sort By
Roger Sherman
Connecticut
Oliver Wolcott
Connecticut
Samuel Huntington
Connecticut
William Williams
Connecticut
Caesar Rodney
Delaware
George Read
Delaware
Thomas McKean
Delaware
Button Gwinnett
Georgia
Lyman Hall
Georgia
George Walton
Georgia
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Maryland
Thomas Stone
Maryland
William Paca
Maryland
Samuel Chase
Maryland
John Adams
Massachusetts
Elbridge Gerry
Massachusetts
Samuel Adams
Massachusetts
John Hancock
Massachusetts
Robert Treat Paine
Massachusetts
Josiah Bartlett
New Hampshire
Matthew Thornton
New Hampshire
William Whipple
New Hampshire
Abraham Clark
New Jersey
Francis Hopkinson
New Jersey
John Hart
New Jersey
John Witherspoon
New Jersey
Richard Stockton
New Jersey
Francis Lewis
New York
Lewis Morris
New York
Philip Livingston
New York
William Floyd
New York
William Hooper
North Carolina
John Penn
North Carolina
Joseph Hewes
North Carolina
Benjamin Franklin
Pennsylvania
George Ross
Pennsylvania
Robert Morris, Jr.
Pennsylvania
John Morton
Pennsylvania
Benjamin Rush
Pennsylvania
George Taylor
Pennsylvania
George Clymer
Pennsylvania
James Wilson
Pennsylvania
James Smith
Pennsylvania
Stephen Hopkins
Rhode Island
William Ellery
Rhode Island
Thomas Lynch Jr.
South Carolina
Arthur Middleton
South Carolina
Edward Rutledge
South Carolina
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
South Carolina
Thomas Jefferson
Virginia
Carter Braxton
Virginia
Benjamin Harrison
Virginia
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Virginia
George Wythe
Virginia
Richard Henry Lee
Virginia
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Virginia
Roger Sherman
Connecticut
William Samuel Johnson
Connecticut
George Read
Delaware
Gunning Bedford, Jr
Delaware
Jacob Broom
Delaware
John Dickinson
Delaware
Richard Bassett
Delaware
Abraham Baldwin
Georgia
William Few
Georgia
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer
Maryland
Daniel Carroll
Maryland
James McHenry
Maryland
Nathaniel Gorham
Massachusetts
Rufus King
Massachusetts
Nicholas Gilman
New Hampshire
John Langdon, Jr.
New Hampshire
David Brearley
New Jersey
Jonathan Dayton
New Jersey
William Livingston
New Jersey
William Paterson
New Jersey
Alexander Hamilton
New York
Hugh Williamson
North Carolina
Richard Dobbs Spaight, Sr.
North Carolina
William Blount
North Carolina
Benjamin Franklin
Pennsylvania
Robert Morris, Jr.
Pennsylvania
George Clymer
Pennsylvania
James Wilson
Pennsylvania
Gouverneur Morris
Pennsylvania
Jared Ingersoll
Pennsylvania
Thomas Fitzsimons
Pennsylvania
Thomas Mifflin
Pennsylvania
John Rutledge
South Carolina
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
South Carolina
Charles Pinckney
South Carolina
Pierce Butler
South Carolina
James Madison
Virginia
George Washington
Virginia
John Blair
Virginia
Roger Sherman
Connecticut
George Read
Delaware
Robert Morris, Jr.
Pennsylvania
Benjamin Franklin
Pennsylvania
George Clymer
Pennsylvania
James Wilson
Pennsylvania
More on the Declaration
Learn more about the delegates who signed the Declaration, its impact across history, and exciting new content and events related to its 250th anniversary.
The Declaration Across History
Read excerpts from historic documents, curated by scholars, that draw on the push for a range of visions for America.
Signers of the Declaration
Historian Carol Berkin shares definitive short biographies of the 56 men who signed the Declaration. This section also includes an engaging video for each signer.
America at 250 Civic Toolkit
The toolkit brings to life the Declaration, the Constitution, and enduring principles that define America. It features America at 250 multimedia content, events, and continuously updated resources.