Historic Figures in the Faulkner Constitution Mural
Connecticut
Oliver Ellsworth
Born: April 29, 1745, Windsor, CT
Died: November 26, 1807, Windsor, CT
Age at Signing: 42
Occupation: Attorney, Senator, Chief Justice of the United States
Military Service: Continental Army, Lieutenant Colonel
Did you know? Ellsworth's influence helped ensure that Connecticut ratified the Constitution. He was elected as one of Connecticut's inaugural pair of Senators, serving from 1789-1796.
William Samuel Johnson
Born: October 7, 1727, Stratford, CT
Died: November 14, 1819, Stratford, CT
Age at Signing: 59
Occupation: Lawyer, Colonel in Connecticut Colonial Militia, Member of the Colony's Supreme Court, Delegate to the Continental Congress
Military Service: Colonel, Connecticut Colonial Militia
Did you know? Johnson served as the Chairman of the Committee of Style and Arrangement at the Constitutional Convention, and was responsible for the final wording of the Constitution.
Roger Sherman
Born: April 19, 1721, Newton, MA
Died: July 23, 1793, New Haven, CT
Age at Signing: 66
Occupation: Cobbler, Surveyor, Cordwainer, Almanac Publisher, Lawyer, Justice of the Peace, Delegate to the Continental Congress, first Mayor of New Haven, Member of the House of Representatives, U.S. Senator
Military Service: None
Did you know? At the Constitutional Convention, Sherman introduced the Connecticut Compromise, a bicameral legislature that combines proportional representation in the lower house and equal representation in the upper house. He was also responsible for the Vice President's status as the leader of the Senate.
Delaware
Gunning Bedford Jr.
Born: April 3, 1747, Philadelphia, PA
Died: March 30, 1812, Wilmington, DE
Age at Signing: 40
Occupation: Lawyer
Did you know? Bedford was a key figure in Delaware becoming the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
John Dickinson
Born: November 13, 1732, Talbot County, MD
Died: February 14, 1808, Wilmington, DE
Age at Signing: 55
Occupation: Attorney, Politician, Farmer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Governor of Delaware, Governor of Pennsylvania, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention
Military Service: Brigadier General, Pennsylvania Militia
Did you know? Dickinson did not physically sign the U.S. Constitution because an illness forced him to leave the convention early. He authorized his colleague, George Read, to sign on his behalf.
George Read
Born: September 18, 1733, Cecil County, MD
Died: September 21, 1798, New Castle, DE
Age at Signing: 54
Occupation: Lawyer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Senator, Chief Justice of Delaware, Governor of Delaware
Military Service: None
Did you know? Read signed John Dickinson's name onto the Constitution, as Dickinson was unable to be present for the signing.
Georgia
Abraham Baldwin
Born: November 22, 1754, Guilford, CT
Died: March 4, 1807, Washington, DC
Age at Signing: 32
Occupation: Minister, Lawyer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Member of the House of Representatives, Senator, First President of the University of Georgia
Military Service: Chaplain, Connecticut Contingent
Did you know? Baldwin sat on the Committee of Postponed Matters (also known as the Committee of Eleven or the Grand Committee), and helped resolve the large-small state representation crisis leading to the "Great Compromise."
Maryland
Luther Martin
Born: February 20, 1748, New Brunswick, NJ
Died: July 10, 1826, New York City, NY
Age at Signing: 39
Occupation: Lawyer, Attorney General of Maryland, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention
Military Service: None
Did you know? Martin did not sign the Constitution because he believed it granted too much power to the federal government at the expense of the states' rights.
Massachusetts
Elbridge Gerry
Born: July 17, 1744, Marblehead, MA
Died: November 23, 1814, Washington, DC
Age at Signing: 43
Occupation: Merchant, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Member of the House of Representatives, Governor of Massachusetts, Vice President
Military Service: None
Did you know? Gerry refused to sign the Constitution because he believed it needed a Bill of Rights to secure individual liberties against a strong central government.
Nathaniel Gorham
Born: May 27, 1738, Charlestown, MA
Died: June 11, 1796, Charlestown, MA
Age at Signing: 39
Occupation: Merchant, President of the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention
Military Service: None
Did you know? Unlike most delegates to the Constitutional Convention, Gorham never served in the new government he helped create.
Rufus King
Born: March 24, 1755, Scarborough, ME (then part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony)
Died: April 29, 1827, Jamaica, New York, NY
Age at Signing: 32
Occupation: Lawyer, Diplomat, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Senator
Military Service: Major, Massachusetts Militia, Aide to General John Sullivan
Did you know? At the urging of his friend Alexander Hamilton, King relocated to New York City in 1788. He was elected to the state legislature and became one of New York's first U.S. Senators.
New Hampshire
John Langdon
Born: June 26, 1741, Portsmouth, NH
Died: September 18, 1819, Portsmouth, NH
Age at Signing: 46
Occupation: Merchant, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Governor of New Hampshire, Senator
Military Service: Colonel, New Hampshire Militia
Did you know? Langdon had to pay his own way to get to the Constitutional Convention, as his state did not fund his journey.
New Jersey
William Paterson (Patterson)
Born: December 24, 1745, County Antrim, Ireland
Died: September 9, 1806, Albany, NY
Age at Signing: 41
Occupation: Lawyer, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Attorney General of New Jersey, Senator, Supreme Court Justice
Military Service: Officer (exact rank unknown), Somerset County Minutemen, New Jersey Militia
Did you know? Paterson first proposed the New Jersey Plan, which had a unicameral legislature with equal representation from all states. However, he ultimately supported the proposed bicameral legislature. After it was adopted, he was satisfied and left the convention, not returning until the time came to sign.
New York
Alexander Hamilton
Born: January 11, 1755 or 1757, Charlestown, Nevis
Died: July 12, 1804, New York City, NY
Age at Signing: 28 or 30
Occupation: Merchant, Lawyer, Soldier, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Secretary of the Treasury
Military Service: Major General, United States Army (Aide-de-Camp to George Washington)
Did you know? Hamilton wrote 51 essays for the Federalist Papers, a collection of 85 essays written by Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to persuade New York to ratify the U.S. Constitution. The popular musical Hamilton is about him.
North Carolina
William R. Davie
Born: June 20, 1756, Egremont, England
Died: November 29, 1820, Chester County, SC
Age at Signing: 31
Occupation: Lawyer, Soldier, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Governor of North Carolina
Military Service: Commissary General of North Carolina
Did you know? Davie left the Constitutional Convention before signing, but he argued for its ratification in the North Carolina state legislature.
Pennsylvania
Benjamin Franklin
Born: January 17, 1706, Boston, MA
Died: April 17, 1790, Philadelphia, PA
Age at Signing: 81
Occupation: Printer, Writer, Scientist, Philosopher, Ambassador, Postmaster, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention
Military Service: None
Did you know? Benjamin Franklin was the oldest delegate at the Constitutional Convention, acting as a crucial negotiator who helped forge the "Great Compromise" to balance power between large and small states.
Gouverneur Morris
Born: January 31, 1752, The Bronx, NY
Died: November 6, 1816, The Bronx, NY
Age at Signing: 35
Occupation: Lawyer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Senator, Ambassador to France
Military Service: Despite losing a leg, he joined a "Briefs Club" in New York, which served as a local militia
Did you know? Morris lost his leg in a carriage accident, though his reputation as a ladies' man led to rumors that he lost it while being chased by a jealous husband.
James Wilson
Born: September 14, 1742, Ceres, Scotland
Died: August 21, 1798, Edenton, NC
Age at Signing: 45
Occupation: Judge, Legal Scholar, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Supreme Court Justice
Military Service: Brigadier General, Pennsylvania State Militia
Did you know? Wilson was the first delegate to propose a single chief executive and he played a large role in shaping the office of the President.
South Carolina
Charles Pinckney
Born: October 26, 1757, Charles Town, SC (Renamed "Charleston" in 1783)
Died: October 29, 1824, Charleston, SC
Age at Signing: 29
Occupation: Lawyer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Member of the House of Representatives, Ambassador to Spain, Governor of South Carolina
Military Service: Lieutenant, South Carolina Militia
Did you know? Pinckney later exaggerated his role at the Convention, claiming to have produced the draft that was the basis for the final version. This claim was heavily disputed by the other delegates and historians. He is second cousins to fellow delegate Charles Cotesworth Pinckney.
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Born: February 25, 1746, Charles Town, SC (Renamed "Charleston" in 1783)
Died: August 16, 1825, Charleston, SC
Age at Signing: 41
Occupation: Lawyer, Soldier, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Ambassador to France
Military Service: Major General, United States Army
Did you know? As President, George Washington offered Pinckney the position of either Secretary of State or Secretary of War, but he declined both. He later accepted the post of Minister to France. He is second cousins to fellow delegate Charles Pinckney.
John Rutledge
Born: September 17, 1739, Charles Town, SC (Renamed "Charleston" in 1783)
Died: June 21, 1800, Charleston, SC
Age at Signing: 48
Occupation: Judge, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Supreme Court Justice
Military Service: None
Did you know? Rutledge chaired the Committee of Detail, which drafted the first version of the Constitution. The Constitution was signed on Rutledge's 48th birthday.
Virginia
James Madison
Born: March 16, 1751, Port Conway, VA
Died: June 28, 1836, Montpelier, Orange County, VA
Age at Signing: 36
Occupation: Statesman, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Member of the House of Representatives, Secretary of State, Fourth President of the United States
Military Service: Colonel, Orange County Militia (Saw no combat)
Did you know? Madison is regarded as the "Father of the Constitution" for his major contributions to its creation.
George Mason
Born: December 11, 1725, Fairfax County, VA
Died: October 7, 1792, Gunston Hall, Fairfax County, VA
Age at Signing: 61
Occupation: Planter, Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and House of Delegates, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention
Military Service: Colonel, Fairfax County Militia
Did you know? Mason refused to sign the Constitution because it lacked a Bill of Rights. Mason authored the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights which served as the blueprint for the U.S. Bill of Rights.
Edmund J. Randolph
Born: August 10, 1753, Williamsburg, VA
Died: September 12, 1813, Milwood, VA
Age at Signing: 34
Occupation: Lawyer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, First Attorney General, Second Secretary of State, Governor of Virginia
Military Service: Lieutenant Colonel, Continental Army (Aide-de-Camp to George Washington)
Did you know? Randolph introduced the Virginia Plan to the Constitutional Convention, which proposed a bicameral legislature. He ultimately chose not to sign the Constitution because he believed that it created too powerful of a central government and it lacked a bill of rights.
George Washington
Born: February 22, 1732, Popes Creek, VA
Died: December 14, 1799, Mount Vernon, VA
Age at Signing: 55
Occupation: Soldier, Farmer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, President of the Constitutional Convention, First President of the United States
Military Service: Commander in Chief of the Continental Army
Did you know? Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention, staying relatively quiet in order to foster compromise and maintain impartiality. As President of the Constitutional Convention, he signed the Constitution first and not with the Virginia delegation.