Which signers of the U.S. Constitution later became U.S. presidents?

On September 17, 1787, the Constitutional Convention came to a close in the Assembly Room of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There were 70 individuals chosen to attend the meetings with the initial purpose of amending the Articles of Confederation. Rhode Island opted to not send any delegates. Fifty-five men attended most of the meetings; but, there were never more than 46 present at any one time, and ultimately only 39 delegates signed the U.S. Constitution. Two of the men who signed the Constitution were James Madison and George Washington.

First, Washington served for 8 years as the first President of the U.S. under the new Constitution. His first 4 years were dominated by domestic issues and the second 4 years by foreign policy issues. After his presidency and with a threat of war with France, Washington again served his country as military Commander-in-Chief. When the threat was over, he went back to Mount Vernon. He died there in December 1799. At a memorial, it was said that Washington was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

Next, when the work of the Constitutional Convention was over, Madison went on to play a key part in its ratification. He joined John Jay and Alexander Hamilton in writing the “Federalist Papers.” He became a member of the House of Representatives (1789-1797), was U.S. Secretary of State (1801-1809), and President of the U.S. (1809-1817). He outlived all of the other Founding Fathers.