Meet the Five Massachusetts Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence

Five brave souls from Massachusetts affixed their names to the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago. Can you name them?

More Than Just John Adams

Most people know that John Adams, who later became the first Vice President and the Second President of the United States, was among the members of the Massachusetts delegation to the Continental Congress to sign the Declaration of Independence, but do you recall the names of the others?

John Hancock, the President of the Continental Congress, was another signer of the Declaration of Independence, as was Boston brewer and politician Samuel Adams (John's cousin), Robert Treat Paine, and Elbridge Gerry.

If you want to split hairs, you can add Dr. Benjamin Franklin to the list of Massachusetts natives to sign the historic document, as Franklin was born on Milk Street in Boston.

Five From Massachusetts Signed the Declaration of Independence

The good Doctor Franklin, however, lived most of his life in Philadelphia when not serving as a diplomat in Europe, and was a member of the Pennsylvania delegation to the Continental Congress when he signed the Declaration of Independence.

Like John Adams, John Hancock was born in Braintree, an area now included as part of Quincy. There are statues dedicated to Adams and Hancock in downtown Quincy, part of the Adams National Historic Park, which includes Adams' boyhood home, the home he lived in after marrying his "dearest friend" Abigail, and Peacefield, the Adams family home. It was there where the former president passed away on July 4, 1826, 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the same day as Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence.

Five From Massachusetts Signed the Declaration of Independence

The Lesser-Known MA Patriots Who Signed the Declaration of Independence

Robert Treat Paine was a lawyer, among other things, who was born in Boston and joined a whaling voyage to Greenland before settling in Taunton for several years. Paine also served as Massachusetts Attorney General.

Elbridge Gerry was a merchant, politician, and diplomat who was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 1810.

They Risked Their Lives for Independence

Each of the five was educated, a man of standing with property who faced a hangman's noose if captured by the British for committing treason against England. It was a risk that they and 51 others took willingly in leading the fight for independence.

The "shot heard round the world" was fired in Massachusetts. It's where the seeds of the American Revolutionary War were planted. See where it all began at Minute Man National Historical Park.

Celebrate the Declaration's 250th Anniversary

Tune in to WBSM 1420 AM and 99.5 FM at 12 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, 2026, to hear a reading of the Declaration of Independence.