Edward Rutledge has the distinction of being the youngest signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence. He was an active member of the South Carolina General Assembly, represented the state in the Continental Congress, served as a captain of artillery in the South Carolina Militia where he was captured during the siege of Charleston (later released during a prisoner exchange) and served as the 39th Governor of South Carolina. On this official State of South Carolina document, Rutledge's 7.5/10 signature appears as a valediction and reappears on the verso (also 7.5/10). There is some separation at the top and bottom of the center crease on the document, otherwise EX. The document is archivally paper framed.