Founding Leaders: Age Was Not A Factor
How old were the Founding Fathers when the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776?
It’s a simple question—perhaps so basic that it’s been overlooked: How old were the leaders of the American Revolution?
As it turns out, many Founding Fathers were younger than 40 years old in 1776, with several qualifying as Founding Teenagers or Twentysomethings. And though the average age of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was 44, more than a dozen of them were 35 or younger.
“We tend to see them as much older than they were,” said John Adams biographer David McCullough in a 2005 speech. “Because we’re seeing them in portraits by Gilbert Stuart and others when they were truly the Founding Fathers—when they were president or chief justice of the Supreme Court and their hair, if it hadn’t turned white, was powdered white. We see the awkward teeth. We see the elder statesmen. At the time of the revolution, they were all young. It was a young man’s–young woman’s cause.”
Some were older, like Thomas Jefferson who was 33, John Hancock who was 39, or Benjamin Franklin who was 70. Others were shockingly young — even teenagers. James Monroe, for example, was 18 and Alexander Hamilton was 21.
All Things Liberty compiled a list of the ages of key people during the American Revolution (a period spanning from 1765–1783) when the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Andrew Jackson, 9 (this is correct)
(Major) Thomas Young, 12
Deborah Sampson, 15
James Armistead, 15
Joseph Plumb Martin, 15
Peter Salem, 16
Peggy Shippen, 16 (Benedict Arnold wife)
Marquis de Lafayette, 18
James Monroe, 18
Henry Lee III, 20
Gilbert Stuart, 20
John Trumbull, 20
Aaron Burr, 20
John Marshall, 20
Nathan Hale, 21
Banastre Tarleton, 21
Alexander Hamilton, 21
Benjamin Tallmadge, 22
Robert Townsend, 22
George Rodgers Clark, 23
David Humphreys, 23
Gouveneur Morris, 24
Betsy Ross, 24
William Washington, 24
James Madison, 25
Henry Knox, 25
John Andre, 26
Thomas Lynch, Jr., 26
Edward Rutledge, 26
Abraham Woodhull, 26
Isaiah Thomas, 27
George Walton, 27
John Paul Jones, 28
Bernardo de Galvez, 29
Thomas Heyward, Jr., 29
Robert R. Livingston, 29
John Jay, 30
Tadeusz Kosciuszko, 30
Benjamin Rush, 30
Abigail Adams, 31
John Barry, 31
Elbridge Gerry, 31
Casimir Pulaski, 31
Anthony Wayne, 31
Joseph Brant, 33
Nathanael Greene, 33
Thomas Jefferson, 33
Thomas Stone, 33
William Hooper, 34
Arthur Middleton, 34
James Wilson, 34
Benedict Arnold, 35
Samuel Chase, 35
Thomas Knowlton, 35
William Paca, 35
John Penn, 35
Hercules Mulligan, 36
Andrew Pickens, 36
Haym Solomon, 36
John Sullivan, 36
George Clymer, 37
Charles Cornwallis, 37
Thomas Nelson, Jr., 37
Ethan Allen, 38
Charles Carroll, 38
King George III, 38
Francis Hopkinson, 38
Carter Braxton, 39
George Clinton, 39
John Hancock, 39
Daniel Morgan, 39
Thomas Paine, 39
Patrick Henry, 40
Enoch Poor, 40
John Adams, 40
Daniel Boone, 41
William Floyd, 41
Button Gwinnett, 41
John Lamb, 41
Francis Lightfoot Lee, 41
Paul Revere, 41
Thomas Sumter, 41
Robert Morris, 42
Thomas McKean, 42
George Read, 42
John Dickinson, 43
John Glover, 43
Benjamin Edes, 43
Samuel Huntington, 44
Richard Henry Lee, 44
Charles Lee, 44
Francis Marion, 44
Lord North, 44
George Washington, 44
Joseph Galloway, 45
Robert Treat Paine, 45
Friedrich von Steuben, 45
Richard Stockton, 45
Martha Washington, 45
William Williams, 45
(Dr.) Thomas Young, 45
Josiah Bartlett, 46
Henry Clinton, 46
Joseph Hewes, 46
William Howe, 46
George Ross, 46
William Whipple, 46
Caesar Rodney, 47
John Stark, 47
Mercy Otis Warren, 47
William Ellery, 48
Horatio Gates, 48
Artemas Ward, 48
Oliver Wolcott, 49
Abraham Clark, 50
Benjamin Harrison, 50
Lewis Morris, 50
Lord Stirling, 50
George Wythe, 50
Guy Carleton, 51
John Morton, 51
Comte de Rochambeau, 51
Lyman Hall, 52
James Rivington, 52
Samuel Adams, 53
Comte de Grasse, 53
John Witherspoon, 53
John Burgoyne, 54
Johann de Kalb, 55
Roger Sherman, 55
Thomas Gage, 56
James Smith, 56
Israel Putnam, 58
Comte de Vergennes, 58
Lewis Nicola, 59
George Germain, 60
Philip Livingston, 60
George Taylor, 60
Matthew Thornton, 62
Francis Lewis, 63
John Hart, 65
Stephen Hopkins, 69
Benjamin Franklin, 70
Samuel Whittemore, 81
THE INFULENCERS WERE THE 1776 MILLENNIALS
We often envision the founding fathers as “those rich guys in white wigs,” because that’s what we saw in our history books.
What the photos do not accurately portray is how old these “rich guys in white wigs” actually were.
Most of the Founding Fathers were under the age of 40 on July 4, 1776, and would more rightly be considered ‘founding teenagers’ or young adults at the time they submitted the Declaration of Independence.
Among the most notable signers were James Monroe (18), John Marshall (20), Aaron Burr (20), Alexander Hamilton (21), and James Madison (25). Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the document, was only 33.
In comparison to this group of budding and patriotic leaders, today, only 9 of the 435 members of the House of Representatives are under the age of 35 and the youngest member of the senate is 40.
In 1780, when James Madison constructed the Constitution he was 29 and the youngest member of the Continental Congress; At 29, he would be the youngest Congressional member today.
As we celebrate these great men, it is important to remember not only the freedom they envisioned for our nation or the innovation they contributed to a system they saw needed fixing, but also for their young age and what we’d call today their “Millennial” status.
Like the founders, young people have historically been at the forefront of making change. Today, we see that Millennials are more collaborative, more innovative and more interested in making a social impact than past generations, as the 2014 Millennial Impact Report found 92% of Millennials chose careers they felt contributed in making a positive impact on the world.
Take our generation’s passion and multiply it by our size – 80 million strong today. By 2020, we’ll be just under 40% of the eligible voting population. Our generation is a vital asset to government politics.
To finding long-term solutions for future-focused policy issues. Leading this effort are Co-Chairs Congressmen Will Hurd (R-TX) and Congresswomen Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), alongside over twenty members from both major parties.
Fueled by motivation from the Founding Fathers, and two centuries of young change makers, MAP hopes to mobilize the next generation of leaders. We will continue to find new ways to put millennial voices and millennial leadership at the forefront of Congress, and we hope you’ll join us today.
Andrew Jackson, 19
(Major) Thomas Young, 12
Deborah Sampson, 15
James Armistead, 15
Sybil Ludington, 15
Joseph Plumb Martin, 15
Peter Salem, 16
Peggy Shippen, 16 (Benedict Arnold wife)
Marquis de Lafayette, 18
James Monroe, 18
Charles Pinckney, 18
Henry Lee III, 20
Gilbert Stuart, 20
John Trumbull, 20
Aaron Burr, 20
John Marshall, 20
Nathan Hale, 21
Banastre Tarleton, 21
Alexander Hamilton, 21
John Laurens, 21
Benjamin Tallmadge, 22
Robert Townsend, 22
George Rogers Clark, 23
David Humphreys, 23
Gouveneur Morris, 24
Betsy Ross, 24
William Washington, 24
James Madison, 25
Henry Knox, 25
John Andre, 26
Thomas Lynch, Jr., 26
Edward Rutledge, 26
Abraham Woodhull, 26
Isaiah Thomas, 27
George Walton, 27
John Paul Jones, 28
Bernardo de Galvez, 29
Thomas Heyward, Jr., 29
Robert R. Livingston, 29
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