d) George Washington

George Washington, as a prominent figure in the founding of the United States, was the first to sign the U.S. Constitution with distinction. As the president of the Constitutional Convention, his signature was a significant endorsement of the new framework of government. Washington’s leadership and prestige lent credibility to the Constitution, encouraging its ratification among the states. His role in the Convention and his subsequent election as the first President under the Constitution were pivotal in the nation’s founding and in establishing the presidency as a key element of the new government.