Who were the 39 delegates who signed the constitution

On September 17, 1787, the delegates of the Constitutional Convention met to sign the document they had created to replace the Articles of Confederation.  Of the 55 people who attended the Convention, only 39 signed on the document. Some left as the Convention progressed, whereas others refused to sign in protest.  Since Rhode Island refused to send a delegate, no representative from Rhode Island signed the document.  In addition to the 39 delegates, the convention’s secretary William Jackson also signed the document, not as a delegate, but in attestation of the document’s signing.

The Constitution was finally adopted by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, and later ratified by special conventions in each of the then-existing thirteen American states.  Today, the United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. 

The 39 delegates who signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787, and the states they represented were as follows:

It has often been remarked that in the journey of life, the young rely on energy to counteract the experience of the old. And vice versa. What makes this Constitutional Convention remarkable is that the 55 delegates in attendance were both young and experienced. The average age of the delegates was 42 and four of the most influential delegates——Alexander Hamilton, Edmund Randolph, Gouverneur Morris and James Madison——were in their thirties. Over half of the delegates graduated from College with nine from Princeton and six from British Universities. Even more significant was the continental political experience of the Framers: 8 signed the Declaration of Independence, 25 served in the Continental Congress, 15 helped draft the new State Constitutions between 1776 and 1780, and 40 served in the Confederation Congress between 1783 and 1787.

George H. Nash has recently written a fascinating little book that fits in wonderfully with the purpose of this link concerning getting to know the Framers biographically. It is called Books and the Founding Fathers and was published in 2007 by the McConnell Center, University of Louisville, and Butler Books. ISI distributes the book.

According to Nash, part of the experience that guided the Framers was their experience with books from early on in their lives. So they weren’t only politically experienced from a young age, they were also informed by the books of ancient Greece and Rome as well as modern Britain from a young age.

To summarize Nash’s point: the Framers 1) read, 2) owned, 3) used, 4) created, and 5) donated books without being simply bookish or “denizens of an ivory tower.”

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External Websites

• Oklahoma Historical Society - Constitutional Convention
• The First Amendment Encyclopedia - Constitutional Convention of 1787
• Constitutional Rights Foundation - The Major Debates at the Constitutional Convention
• Humanities LibreTexts - The Constitutional Convention

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Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

• Constitutional Convention - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• Constitutional Convention - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

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While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

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External Websites

• Oklahoma Historical Society - Constitutional Convention
• The First Amendment Encyclopedia - Constitutional Convention of 1787
• Constitutional Rights Foundation - The Major Debates at the Constitutional Convention
• Humanities LibreTexts - The Constitutional Convention

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

• Constitutional Convention - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• Constitutional Convention - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Alternate titles: Federal Convention, Philadelphia Convention

By The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Dec 30, 2022 Article History

U.S. Constitution

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Date:1787...(Show more)Location:Pennsylvania Philadelphia United States...(Show more)Key People:Oliver Ellsworth Benjamin Franklin Elbridge Gerry Alexander Hamilton James Madison...(Show more)

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Independence Hall: Assembly Room

Constitutional Convention, (1787), in U.S. history, convention that drew up the Constitution of the United States. Stimulated by severe economic troubles, which produced radical political movements such as Shays’s Rebellion, and urged on by a demand for a stronger central government, the convention met in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia (May 25–September 17, 1787), ostensibly to amend the Articles of Confederation. All the states except Rhode Island responded to an invitation issued by the Annapolis Convention of 1786 to send delegates. Of the 74 deputies chosen by the state legislatures, only 55 took part in the proceedings; of these, 39 signed the Constitution. The delegates included many of the leading figures of the period. Among them were George Washington, who was elected to preside, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, James Wilson, John Rutledge, Charles Pinckney, Oliver Ellsworth, and Gouverneur Morris.

Discarding the idea of amending the Articles of Confederation, the assembly set about drawing up a new scheme of government but found itself divided, delegates from small states (those without claims to unoccupied western lands) opposing those from large states over the apportionment of representation. Edmund Randolph offered a plan known as the Virginia, or large state, plan, which provided for a bicameral legislature with representation of each state based on its population or wealth. William Paterson proposed the New Jersey, or small state, plan, which provided for equal representation in Congress. Neither the large nor the small states would yield. Oliver Ellsworth and Roger Sherman, among others, in what is sometimes called the Connecticut, or Great, Compromise, proposed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the lower house and equal representation of the states in the upper house. All revenue measures would originate in the lower house. That compromise was approved July 16.

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This Day in History Quiz: September 17

The matter of counting slaves in the population for figuring representation was settled by a compromise agreement that three-fifths of the slaves should be counted as population in apportioning representation and should also be counted as property in assessing taxes. Controversy over the abolition of the importation of slaves ended with the agreement that importation should not be forbidden before 1808. The powers of the federal executive and judiciary were enumerated, and the Constitution was itself declared to be the “supreme law of the land.” The convention’s work was approved by a majority of the states the following year.

Why did only 39 delegates signed the Constitution?

In all, 70 delegates were appointed to the Constitutional Convention, but out of that 70 only 55 attended, and only 39 actually signed. Some simply refused, others got sick, still others left early.

How many delegates who signed the Constitution?

In all, 55 delegates attended the Constitutional Convention sessions, but only 39 actually signed the Constitution. The delegates ranged in age from Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, to Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, who was so infirm that he had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair.

Who were the 13 delegates at the Constitutional Convention?

At the time of the convention, Thirteen individuals were businessmen, merchants, or shippers: Blount, Broom, Clymer, Dayton, Fitzsimons, Gerry, Gilman, Gorham, Langdon, Robert Morris, Pierce, Sherman, and Wilson.

Who were the 55 delegates who wrote the Constitution?

Key Delegates There were 55 delegates who attended the convention. 1 The most well-known attendees for each state were: Virginia - George Washington, James Madison, Edmund Randolph, George Mason. Pennsylvania - Benjamin Franklin, Gouverneur Morris, Robert Morris, James Wilson.