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Just how old were the key players of the American Revolution? While researching his book, Reporting the Revolutionary War, author Todd Andrlik compiled a list of their precise ages as of July 4, 1776. Despite the powdered wigs and awkward teeth, many of the Founding Fathers were under the age of 40… and a few were even teenagers!

At age 70, Benjamin Franklin was among the Revolution’s elder statesmen, second only to Samuel Whittemore at 81. Also ineligible for the 1776 class of 40 Leaders Under Forty were Samuel Adams (53), George Washington (44), Paul Revere (41) and Daniel Boone (41), while John Adams (40) and Patrick Henry (40) just missed the cutoff date. Meanwhile, at age 38, King George III of Great Britain was disqualified—though not because of his age. Among the youngest leaders of the American Revolution were:

Source: Journal of the American Revolution, allthingsliberty.com, hat tip to the Peoria Historical Society

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