The Age of the Delegates in 1787
Introduction
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 delegates were both young and experienced. The average age of the delegates was 42 and four of the most influential delegates—Alexander Hamilton, Edmund Randolph, Gouvernor 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.
The Delegates by Age
Delegates in their 20s | State | Life | Age |
Jonathon Dayton | NJ | 1760 – 1824 | 26 |
John F. Mercer | MD | 1759 – 1821 | 28 |
Richard Dobbs Spaight | NC | 1758 – 1802 | 29 |
Charles Pinckney | SC | 1757 – 1824 | 29 |
Delegates in their 30s | |||
William R. Davie | NC | 1756 – 1804 | 30 |
Alexander Hamilton | NY | 1757 – 1804 | 30 |
Nicholas Gilman | NH | 1755 – 1814 | 32 |
William Houstoun | GA | 1755 – 1813 | 32 |
Rufus King | MA | 1755 – 1827 | 32 |
John Lansing, Jr. | NY | 1754 – 1829 | 32 |
Abraham Baldwin | GA | 1754 – 1807 | 33 |
Edmund J. Randolph | VA | 1753 – 1813 | 34 |
Gouverneur Morris | PA | 1752 – 1816 | 35 |
Jacob Broom | DE | 1752 – 1810 | 35 |
James Madison, Jr. | VA | 1751 – 1836 | 36 |
Jared Ingersoll | PA | 1749 – 1822 | 37 |
William Few | GA | 1748 – 1828 | 39 |
Luther Martin | MD | 1748 – 1826 | 39 |
William Blount | NC | 1749 – 1800 | 39 |
Delegates in their 40s | |||
Gunning Bedford, Jr. | DE | 1747 – 1812 | 40 |
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney | SC | 1746 – 1825 | 41 |
William C. Houston | NJ | 1746 – 1788 | 41 |
James McClurg | VA | 1746 – 1823 | 41 |
William Paterson | NJ | 1745 – 1815 | 41 |
Richard Bassett | DE | 1745 – 1815 | 42 |
Oliver Ellsworth | CT | 1745 – 1807 | 42 |
David Brearly | NJ | 1745 – 1790 | 42 |
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney | MA | 1745 – 1819 | 42 |
Pierce Butler | SC | 1744 – 1822 | 43 |
Elbridge Gerry | MA | 1744 – 1814 | 43 |
Thomas Mifflin | PA | 1744 – 1800 | 43 |
James McHenry | MD | 1743 – 1816 | 44 |
James Wilson | PA | 1742 – 1798 | 45 |
John Langdon | NH | 1741 – 1811 | 46 |
Thomas Fitzsimons | PA | 1741 – 1811 | 46 |
Alexander Martin | NC | 1740 – 1807 | 47 |
William L. Pierce | GA | 1740 – 1789 | 47 |
George Clymer | PA | 1739 – 1813 | 48 |
John Rutledge | SC | 1739 – 1800 | 48 |
Nathaniel Gorham | MA | 1738 – 1796 | 49 |
Robert Yates | NY | 1738 – 1801 | 49 |
Delegates in their 50s and older | |||
Hugh Williamson | NC | 1735 – 1819 | 52 |
Robert Morris | PA | 1734 – 1806 | 53 |
George Read | DE | 1733 – 1798 | 53 |
John Blair | VA | 1732 – 1800 | 55 |
John Dickinson | DE | 1732 – 1808 | 55 |
George Washington | VA | 1732 – 1799 | 55 |
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer | MD | 1730 – 1796 | 57 |
William Samuel Johnson | CT | 1727 – 1819 | 59 |
George Wythe | VA | 1726 – 1806 | 61 |
George Mason | VA | 1725 – 1792 | 62 |
William Livingston | NJ | 1723 – 1790 | 63 |
David Brearly | MD | 1723 – 1790 | 64 |
Roger Sherman | CT | 1721 – 1793 | 66 |
Benjamin Franklin | PA | 1706 – 1790 | 81 |