Historic Figures in the Faulkner Declaration Mural
Connecticut
Samuel Huntington
Born: July 16, 1731, Windham, CT
Died: January 5, 1796, Norwich, CT
Age at Signing: 45
Occupation: Lawyer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, President of Continental Congress, Governor of Connecticut
Military Service: None
Did you know? Huntington was the first President under the Articles of Confederation, serving from 1779-1781.
Roger Sherman
Born: April 19, 1721, Newton, MA
Died: July 23, 1793, New Haven, CT
Age at Signing: 55
Occupation: Cobbler, Surveyor, Cordwainer, Almanac Publisher, Lawyer, Justice of the Peace, Delegate to the Continental Congress, first Mayor of New Haven (CT), Member of the House of Representatives, U.S. Senator
Military Service: None
Did you know? Roger Sherman is the only person to have signed all four of the most significant documents in our nation's early history: the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution.
Delaware
Thomas McKean
Born: March 19, 1734, New London Township, PA
Died: June 24, 1817, Philadelphia, PA
Age at Signing: 42*
Occupation: Lawyer
Military Service: Colonel, Pennsylvania Militia
Did you know? *Thomas McKean did not sign the Declaration on August 2, 1776; he signed it later, possibly as late as 1781. His military duties caused him to miss the official signing.
Georgia
Lyman Hall
Born: April 12, 1724, Wallingford, CT
Died: October 19, 1790, Burke County, GA
Age at Signing: 52
Occupation: Clergyman, Physician, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Governor of Georgia, Founder of University of Georgia
Military Service: None
Did you know? When Hall arrived at the Continental Congress in 1775, he did not represent the entire colony of Georgia, which was heavily loyalist; he was sent only by St. John's Parish. He did not vote until Georgia officially selected delegates.
Maryland
Samuel Chase
Born: April 17, 1741, Princess Anne, MD
Died: June 19, 1811, Baltimore, MD
Age at Signing: 35
Occupation: Lawyer, Judge, Member of Maryland General Assembly, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Supreme Court Justice
Military Service: None
Did you know? Chase had the nicknames "Old Bacon Face," for his reddish complexion, and "The Demosthenes of Maryland," for his oratorical skill.
Charles Carroll
Born: September 19, 1737, Annapolis, MD
Died: November 14, 1832, Baltimore, MD
Age at Signing: 39
Occupation: Landowner
Military Service: None
Did you know? Carroll was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, dying on November 14, 1832 at the age of 95.
Thomas Stone
Born: 1743 (birthday unknown), Charles County, MD
Died: October 5, 1787, Alexandria, VA
Age at Signing: 33
Occupation: Lawyer
Military Service: None
Did you know? Stone withdrew from public life shortly after signing the Declaration to care for his wife, who was in poor health after contracting smallpox.
Massachusetts
Samuel Adams
Born: September 27, 1722, Boston, MA
Died: October 2, 1803, Boston, MA
Age at Signing: 53
Occupation: Businessman, Publisher, Founder of the Sons of Liberty, Politician
Military Service: None
Did you know? Despite popular belief, Adams never brewed beer. He did, however, work for his father's malt house.
John Hancock
Born: January 23, 1737, Braintree, MA
Died: October 8, 1793, Boston, MA
Age at Signing: 39
Occupation: Merchant, President of the Continental Congress, First Governor of Massachusetts
Military Service: None
Did you know? The famous story that Hancock made his signature on the Declaration very large to taunt the King of England is a myth. In reality, Hancock was the first to sign as the President of the Congress.
John Adams
Born: October 30, 1735, Braintree, MA
Died: July 4, 1826, Quincy, MA
Age at Signing: 41
Occupation: Lawyer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, First Vice President, Second President, Ambassador to Great Britain
Military Service: None
Did you know? Adams led the Committee of Five, choosing Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence. He explained his rationale, "Reason 1st. You [Jefferson] are a Virginian, and Virginia ought to appear at the head of this business. Reason 2d. I am obnoxious, suspected and unpopular; You are very much otherwise. Reason 3d: You can write ten times better than I can."
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett
Born: December 2, 1729, Amesbury, MA
Died: May 19, 1795, Kingston, NH
Age at Signing: 49
Occupation: Physician, Farmer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court, Governor of New Hampshire
Did you know? In the television series The West Wing, President Jed Bartlet is a descendant of Josiah Bartlett.
New Jersey
Abraham Clark
Born: February 15, 1726, Elizabeth, NJ
Died: September 15, 1794, Rahway, NJ
Age at Signing: 50
Occupation: Lawyer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Member of the House of Representatives
Military Service: None
Did you know? Clark was elected to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, but did not attend due to illness.
John Witherspoon
Born: February 5, 1723, Yester, Scotland
Died: November 15, 1794, Princeton, NJ
Age at Signing: 53
Occupation: Reverend, President of Princeton University, Delegate to the Continental Congress
Military Service: None
Did you know? Witherspoon was the only active clergyman and university president to sign the Declaration.
Francis Hopkinson
Born: October 2, 1737, Philadelphia, PA
Died: May 9, 1791, Philadelphia, PA
Age at Signing: 39
Occupation: Lawyer, Composer, Delegate to the Continental Congress
Military Service: None
Did you know? Hopkinson was one of the designers of the United States flag.
New York
Robert R. Livingston
Born: November 27, 1746, New York, NY
Died: February 26, 1813, Clermont, NY
Age at Signing: 29
Occupation: Lawyer, Chancellor of New York, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Minister to France
Military Service: None
Did you know? Livingston was a member of the Committee of Five, but did not sign the Declaration because he was recalled by the New York legislature before the signing took place.
William Floyd
Born: December 17, 1734, Brookhaven, NY
Died: August 4, 1821, Westernville, NY
Age at Signing: 45
Occupation: Farmer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Member of the House of Representatives
Military Service: Major General, Suffolk County Militia
Did you know? Shortly after Floyd signed the Declaration of Independence, the British defeated the American army at New York, capturing William Floyd's house. The British held his house until the end of the war.
North Carolina
Joseph Hewes
Born: July 9, 1730, Princeton, NJ
Died: November 10, 1779, Philadelphia, PA
Age at Signing: 46
Occupation: Merchant, Shipbuilder, Delegate to the Continental Congress
Military Service: None
Did you know? Hewes is known as a "Father of the U.S. Navy" for his critical role in creating the Continental Navy.
Pennsylvania
Robert Morris
Born: January 20, 1734, Liverpool, England
Died: May 8, 1806, Philadelphia, PA
Age at Signing: 42
Occupation: Merchant, Financier, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Senator
Military Service: None
Did you know? Morris was the first Superintendent of Finance and is regarded as one of the founders of the American banking system.
John Dickinson
Born: November 13, 1732, Trappe, MD
Died: February 14, 1808, Wilmington, DE
Age at Signing: 44
Occupation: Lawyer, Farmer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, President of Delaware, President of Pennsylvania
Military Service: Brigadier General, Pennsylvania Militia
Did you know? Dickinson had reservations about declaring independence. Rather than signing the Declaration, he left the Continental Congress to join the military.
Benjamin Franklin
Born: January 17, 1706, Boston, MA
Died: April 17, 1790, Philadelphia, PA
Age at Signing: 70
Occupation: Printer, Writer, Scientist, Philosopher, Ambassador, Postmaster, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention
Military Service: None
Did you know? Franklin was a member of the Committee of Five appointed to draft the Declaration of Independence. It is believed that he changed Jefferson's suggested phrase "sacred and undeniable" to "self-evident" during the editing process.
Rhode Island
Stephen Hopkins
Born: March 7, 1707, Providence, RI
Died: July 13, 1785, Providence, RI
Age at Signing: 69
Occupation: Farmer, Merchant, Iron Manufacturer, Justice, Governor of Rhode Island, Delegate to the Continental Congress
Military Service: None
Did you know? Hopkins' notably shaky signature is attributed to palsy. According to legend, as he wrote his name, he said, "My hand trembles, but my heart does not."
William Ellery
Born: December 22, 1727, Newport, RI
Died: February 15, 1820, Newport, RI
Age at Signing: 48
Occupation: Merchant, Customs Collector, Lawyer, Delegate to the Continental Congress
Military Service: None
Did you know? Ellery was one of only three signers to live into his nineties, along with John Adams and Charles Carroll.
South Carolina
Edward Rutledge
Born: November 23, 1749, Charleston, SC
Died: January 23, 1800, Charleston, SC
Age at Signing: 26
Occupation: Lawyer, Farmer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Governor of South Carolina
Military Service: Captain, South Carolina Militia
Did you know? At only 26 years of age, Rutledge was the youngest delegate to sign the Declaration of Independence.
Virginia
Benjamin Harrison
Born: April 5, 1726, Charles City County, VA
Died: July 24, 1791, Charles City County, VA
Age at Signing: 50
Occupation: Farmer, Merchant, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Governor of Virginia
Military Service: None
Did you know? Harrison's son, William Henry Harrison, and his great-grandson, Benjamin Harrison, both became U.S. Presidents.
Thomas Jefferson
Born: April 13, 1743, Shadwell Plantation, VA
Died: July 4, 1826, Monticello, VA
Age at Signing: 33
Occupation: Farmer, Lawyer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Ambassador, Governor of Virginia, First Secretary of State, Second Vice President, Third President
Military Service: None
Did you know? Jefferson died exactly 50 years after the Declaration of Independence was passed, on July 4, 1826. John Adams died the same day.
Richard Henry Lee
Born: January 20, 1732, Westmoreland County, VA
Died: June 19, 1794, Westmoreland County, VA
Age at Signing: 44
Occupation: Lawyer, Delegate to the Continental Congress, President of the Continental Congress, Senator
Military Service: None
Did you know? Lee brought forth the Lee Resolution, the formal motion to officially separate the colonies from Great Britain.
Thomas Nelson Jr.
Born: December 26, 1738, Yorktown, VA
Died: January 4, 1789, Hanover County, VA
Age at Signing: 37
Occupation: Planter, Soldier, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Governor of Virginia
Military Service: Brigadier General, Lower Virginia Militia
Did you know? Inspired by events of the 1773 Boston Tea Party, Nelson organized a Yorktown Tea Party in 1774. He personally threw two crates of tea into the water.
George Wythe
Born: 1726 (birthday unknown), Chesterville, VA
Died: June 8, 1806, Richmond, VA
Age at Signing: 50
Occupation: Planter, Lawyer, Justice, Professor, Mayor of Williamsburg, Attorney General of Virginia, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Delegate to the Constitutional Convention
Military Service: None
Did you know? Wythe died under mysterious circumstances. His grandnephew and would-be heir, George Wythe Sweeney, allegedly poisoned him, putting arsenic in Wythe's morning coffee on May 25, 1806.