Want to amaze your friends with your historical knowledge? Learn about all the signers of the United States Constitution with this list. There are probably more than you think!
1. George Washington
Most people remember George Washington as America's first president and a military officer in the Revolutionary War, but he was also integral to the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Although most people probably don't remember this, the U.S. Constitution was not the original Constitution following the colonies' victory in the Revolutionary War. Instead, the Articles of Confederation was the first Constitution. Still, Washington played a crucial role in the adoption and ratification of the Constitution after the Articles of Confederation essentially proved ineffective.
2. George Read
A far less famous George is George Read, an American politician from Delaware. He served as a representative for Delaware in the Continental Congress and was even briefly president of Delaware. After that, he served as the U.S. Senator of Delaware and its chief justice. He is one of only two people to sign the original Petition to the King of the Congress of 1774, the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States.
3. Gunning Bedford, Jr.
Delaware was a very influential state in the early years of the United States history, and Gunning Bedford Jr. was yet another Constitution signer from this state. He was also Delaware's Attorney General and a district judge of the United States District Court for Delaware. He fought for his state to have equal rights with larger states and had a lot of political experience.
4. John Dickinson
Famously known as the "penman of the Revolution," John Dickinson was an influential American statesman because of his compelling writing. Aside from being a signer of the Constitution, Dickinson is also well-known for writing the document "Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, to the Inhabitants of the British Colonies."
5. Richard Bassett
Richard Basset led a very interesting and complicated life. He was a slave owner who became an abolitionist later in life. Basset also served during the American Revolution in the military and was an influential politician. He is considered one of the Founding Fathers of America. Like many so far on this list, he is also from Delaware.
6. Jacob Broom
An advocate for a strong central government, Jacob Broom was another politician from Delaware and a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, where he signed the U.S. Constitution. He raised a family with a long history in politics, as his son and grandson were both congressmen.
7. James McHenry
A proud representative of Maryland, James McHenry was one of the few signers to have a Scotch-Irish background. He was also a military surgeon during the Revolutionary War. He is known for asking Congress to form the Navy, and Fort McHenry was named after him. He also was the U.S. Secretary of War for four years.
8. Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer
Also hailing from Maryland, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer was a prominent leader in Maryland when Great Britain ruled the colonies. However, he was also quick to turn to the Patriots when the whispers of revolution turned into action.
9. Daniel Carroll
Daniel Carroll was a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 and the rare Roman Catholic among the Founding Fathers. It was this convention that wrote the Constitution of the United States, and he served as a representative in the First Congress. He was also one of only five people to sign the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.
10. John Blair Jr.
John Blair Jr. was a Virginian and an Associate Justice on the first United States Supreme Court. He was excellent as a jurist and well-known for his legal knowledge. After signing the Constitution, his work in shaping it continued as he served to interpret it in the Supreme Court.
11. James Madison, Jr.
More famously known as America's fourth president, James Madison Jr. was an American statesman and a wealthy slave owner like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. He is called the "Father of the Constitution" because of his instrumental work in drafting both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
12. William Blount
William Blount is one of the first disgraced signers of the Constitution because he served as a senator for Tennessee until being expelled for treason in 1797. Before that, he was a delegate for North Carolina at the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
13. Richard Dobbs Spaight
Another North Carolina delegate was Richard Dobbs Spaight. He was the eighth governor of North Carolina Democratic-Republican and the U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 10th congressional district. He was killed in his campaign for State Senate by opponent Federalist Congressman John Stanly, who challenged him to a duel that ended in Spaight's death.
14. Hugh Williamson
In addition to being a representative of North Carolina at the Constitutional Convention, Hugh Williamson was also a universally respected academic and physician. Many scholars across the globe really admired his opinion, which came to be quite influential when the Revolutionary War began.
15. John Rutledge
A delegate from South Carolina, John Rutledge was also one of the first associate justices of the Supreme Court and the second chief justice. He was also South Carolina's first president and its first governor.
16. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney represented South Carolina in the Constitutional Convention and was a Revolutionary War veteran. He strongly supported the federal Constitution and ensured South Carolina's support.
17. Charles Pinckney
The first cousin once removed of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Charles Pickney served as the 37th governor of South Carolina and represented his state as a U.S. Senator and member of the House of Representatives.
18. Pierce Butler
From South Carolina, Pierce Butler was a state legislator and one of the owners of the largest amount of slaves in the United States. He fought hard to defend American slavery, as it was hugely profitable for him. He drafted the Fugitive Slave Clause to support slaveholders.
19. William Few Jr.
One of the few delegates from Georgia was William Few. He was a lawyer, politician, and jurist. He was incredibly useful to the Patriot's cause as a leader and organizer during the Revolutionary War, which later translated into political success.
20. Abraham Baldwin
Another rare delegate from Georgia, Abraham Baldwin was a minister and politician who was born in Connecticut and graduated from Yale College. He moved to Georgia much later in life and became the founder of the University of Georgia.
21. John Langdon
From New Hampshire, John Langdon was one of the first two U.S. senators from this small state. He served for a long time in the U.S. Congress, 12 years in total. He also became the first president pro tempore of the Senate and was president and then governor of New Hampshire.
22. Nicholas Gilman Jr.
Nicholas Gilman Jr. served as a foot soldier in the Continental Army and was a New Hampshire delegate to the Continental Congress. He was very active in American politics following the war and served in several prominent positions until his death.
23. Nathaniel Gorham
Nathaniel Gorham was involved in the Continental Congress as its officer under the Articles of Confederation. He was a delegate from Massachusetts who later signed the Constitution. Both a street, Gorham Street, in Wisconsin and a town, Gorham, in New York, are named after him.
24. Rufus King
Rufus King served as a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress and the Philadelphia Convention. Then, after the new Congress was created, he was the representative for New York in the U.S. Senate. He was born to a rich merchant and was able to study law before signing up for the militia in the Revolutionary War. After the war and the formation of the new government, he was actively involved in the Federalist Party and was its last presidential nominee in 1816.
25. William Samuel Johnson
William Samuel Johnson was one of the many signers who served in the Revolutionary War, but he had military service even before that. He was a militia lieutenant but was dismissed from his duties after he refused his election to the First Continental Congress.
26. Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman was the only person to sign the 1774 Petition to the King, the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. Despite being born in Massachusetts, Sherman spent much of his time serving in Connecticut as a representative and then justice of the Superior Court. He was one of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence.
27. Alexander Hamilton
Boosted into pop culture relevance by the recent musical "Hamilton," Alexander has always been one of the most influential Founding Fathers. He made waves as a military officer, politician, Founding Father, and the first United States secretary of the treasury. He helped ratify the Constitution by writing the majority of the Federalist papers.
28. William Livingston
William Livingston was the first governor of New Jersey during the Revolutionary War and continued his state service as a representative in the Continental Congress. Livingston signed both the Continental Association and the United States Constitution.
29. David Brearley
David Brearley was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey and its delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. He was arrested for defying British Parliament but was freed by a mob of people. He continued this defiance by serving as captain of the Monmouth County militia.
30. William Paterson
William Paterson served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and the second governor of New Jersey. He was actually born in Ireland but moved to the colonies when he was quite young and graduated from the College of New Jersey, which is now called Princeton University. As an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, he presided over several important cases and served there until his death.
31. Jonathan Dayton
Jonathan Dayton was another politician from New Jersey and the youngest signer of the Constitution, and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Although he never reached a trial, he was arrested for treason in connection to Aaron Burr's plots.
32. Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was a talented politician, writer, and scientist. He was one of the few signers who pulled themselves out of poverty and went on to become internationally influential. He was the first U.S. Postmaster General.
33. Thomas Mifflin
Thomas Mifflin was the first governor of Pennsylvania and its last president. He graduated from the College of Philadelphia and worked as a merchant before serving in the Continental Army. In the Revolutionary War, he started off as General Washington's helper and rose to become a major general.
34. Robert Morris
Called the "Financier of the American Revolution," Robert Morris put a lot of money into supporting America as a new nation. He also signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution.
35. George Clymer
George Clymer was one of just six founders to sign the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. He was also among the first people to campaign for total freedom from the British Empire.
36. Thomas Fitzsimons
Thomas Fitzsimons had a lot of different skills in addition to being a capable politician. He was also a merchant and a banker. He was Pennsylvania's in the Constitutional Convention and served in Congress for the state as well. Although he was a slave owner, he campaigned to abolish the slave trade.
37. Jared Ingersoll
Jared Ingersoll was yet another Pennsylvania delegate and signer of the U.S. Constitution, but he was born in Connecticut. He represented Philadelphia because that was where he spent most of his adult life after graduating from Yale College.
38. James Wilson
James Wilson was another associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and was elected twice to the Continental Congress. He was also hugely influential because he helped draft the U.S. Constitution and was one of the first four associate justices to be appointed to the court by Washington.
39. Gouverneur Morris
Gouverneur Morris wrote the U.S. Constitution's Preamble and is known as the "Penman of the Constitution." He was also one of the loudest opponents of slavery at the Constitutional Convention.
40. William Jackson
Last but not least is William Jackson. He was secretary to the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention and was one of President Washington's personal secretaries as well.
