<Dd> 56 . George Walton </Dd> <P> Eight delegates never signed the Declaration, out of about 50 who are thought to have been present in Congress during the voting on independence in early July 1776: John Alsop, George Clinton, John Dickinson, Charles Humphreys, Robert R. Livingston, John Rogers, Thomas Willing, and Henry Wisner . Clinton, Livingston, and Wisner were attending to duties away from Congress when the signing took place . Willing and Humphreys voted against the resolution of independence and were replaced in the Pennsylvania delegation before the August 2 signing . Rogers had voted for the resolution of independence but was no longer a delegate on August 2 . Alsop favored reconciliation with Great Britain and so resigned rather than add his name to the document . Dickinson refused to sign, believing the Declaration premature, but he remained in Congress . George Read had voted against the resolution of independence, and Robert Morris had abstained--yet they both signed the Declaration . </P> <P> The most famous signature on the engrossed copy is that of John Hancock, who presumably signed first as President of Congress . Hancock's large, flamboyant signature became iconic, and John Hancock emerged in the United States as an informal synonym for "signature". Future presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were among the signatories . Edward Rutledge (age 26) was the youngest signer and Benjamin Franklin (age 70) the oldest . </P> <P> Some delegates were away on business when the Declaration was debated, including William Hooper and Samuel Chase, but they were back in Congress to sign on August 2 . Other delegates were present when the Declaration was debated but added their names after August 2, including Lewis Morris, Oliver Wolcott, Thomas McKean, and possibly Elbridge Gerry . Richard Henry Lee and George Wythe were in Virginia during July and August, but returned to Congress and signed the Declaration probably in September and October, respectively . </P>

Who was the oldest signer of the declaration of independance