benjamin franklin biography facts

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Benjamin Franklin

By: History.com Editors

Updated: March 28, 2023 | Original: November 9, 2009

One of the leading figures of early American history, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was a statesman, author, publisher, scientist, inventor and diplomat. Born into a Boston family of modest means, Franklin had little formal education. He went on to start a successful printing business in Philadelphia and grew wealthy. Franklin was deeply active in public affairs in his adopted city, where he helped launch a lending library, hospital and college and garnered acclaim for his experiments with electricity, among other projects. During the American Revolution , he served in the Second Continental Congress and helped draft the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He also negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War (1775-83). In 1787, in his final significant act of public service, he was a delegate to the convention that produced the U.S. Constitution .

Benjamin Franklin’s Early Years

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in colonial Boston. His father, Josiah Franklin (1657-1745), a native of England, was a candle and soap maker who married twice and had 17 children. Franklin’s mother was Abiah Folger (1667-1752) of Nantucket, Massachusetts , Josiah’s second wife. Franklin was the eighth of Abiah and Josiah’s 10 offspring.

Did you know? Benjamin Franklin is the only Founding Father  to have signed all four of the key documents establishing the U.S.: the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Treaty of Alliance with France (1778), the Treaty of Paris establishing peace with Great Britain (1783) and the U.S. Constitution (1787).

Franklin’s formal education was limited and ended when he was 10; however, he was an avid reader and taught himself to become a skilled writer. In 1718, at age 12, he was apprenticed to his older brother James, a Boston printer. By age 16, Franklin was contributing essays (under the pseudonym Silence Dogood) to a newspaper published by his brother. At age 17, Franklin ran away from his apprenticeship to Philadelphia, where he found work as a printer. In late 1724, he traveled to London, England, and again found employment in the printing business.

Benjamin Franklin: Printer and Publisher

Benjamin Franklin returned to Philadelphia in 1726, and two years later opened a printing shop. The business became highly successful producing a range of materials, including government pamphlets, books and currency. In 1729, Franklin became the owner and publisher of a colonial newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette , which proved popular—and to which he contributed much of the content, often using pseudonyms. Franklin achieved fame and further financial success with “Poor Richard’s Almanack,” which he published every year from 1733 to 1758. The almanac became known for its witty sayings, which often had to do with the importance of diligence and frugality, such as “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

In 1730, Franklin began living with Deborah Read (c. 1705-74), the daughter of his former Philadelphia landlady, as his common-law wife. Read’s first husband had abandoned her; however, due to bigamy laws, she and Franklin could not have an official wedding ceremony. Franklin and Read had a son, Francis Folger Franklin (1732-36), who died of smallpox at age 4, and a daughter, Sarah Franklin Bache (1743-1808). Franklin had another son, William Franklin (c. 1730-1813), who was born out of wedlock. William Franklin served as the last colonial governor of New Jersey , from 1763 to 1776, and remained loyal to the British during the American Revolution . He died in exile in England.

Benjamin Franklin and Philadelphia

As Franklin’s printing business prospered, he became increasingly involved in civic affairs. Starting in the 1730s, he helped establish a number of community organizations in Philadelphia, including a lending library (it was founded in 1731, a time when books weren’t widely available in the colonies, and remained the largest U.S. public library until the 1850s), the city’s first fire company , a police patrol and the American Philosophical Society , a group devoted to the sciences and other scholarly pursuits. 

Franklin also organized the Pennsylvania militia, raised funds to build a city hospital and spearheaded a program to pave and light city streets. Additionally, Franklin was instrumental in the creation of the Academy of Philadelphia, a college which opened in 1751 and became known as the University of Pennsylvania in 1791.

Franklin also was a key figure in the colonial postal system. In 1737, the British appointed him postmaster of Philadelphia, and he went on to become, in 1753, joint postmaster general for all the American colonies. In this role he instituted various measures to improve mail service; however, the British dismissed him from the job in 1774 because he was deemed too sympathetic to colonial interests. In July 1775, the Continental Congress appointed Franklin the first postmaster general of the United States, giving him authority over all post offices from Massachusetts to Georgia . He held this position until November 1776, when he was succeeded by his son-in-law. (The first U.S. postage stamps, issued on July 1, 1847, featured images of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington .)

Benjamin Franklin's Inventions

In 1748, Franklin, then 42 years old, had expanded his printing business throughout the colonies and become successful enough to stop working. Retirement allowed him to concentrate on public service and also pursue more fully his longtime interest in science. In the 1740s, he conducted experiments that contributed to the understanding of electricity, and invented the lightning rod, which protected buildings from fires caused by lightning. In 1752, he conducted his famous kite experiment and demonstrated that lightning is electricity. Franklin also coined a number of electricity-related terms, including battery, charge and conductor.

In addition to electricity, Franklin studied a number of other topics, including ocean currents, meteorology, causes of the common cold and refrigeration. He developed the Franklin stove, which provided more heat while using less fuel than other stoves, and bifocal eyeglasses, which allow for distance and reading use. In the early 1760s, Franklin invented a musical instrument called the glass armonica. Composers such as Ludwig Beethoven (1770-1827) and Wolfgang Mozart (1756-91) wrote music for Franklin’s armonica; however, by the early part of the 19th century, the once-popular instrument had largely fallen out of use.

READ MORE: 11 Surprising Facts About Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin and the American Revolution

In 1754, at a meeting of colonial representatives in Albany, New York , Franklin proposed a plan for uniting the colonies under a national congress. Although his Albany Plan was rejected, it helped lay the groundwork for the Articles of Confederation , which became the first constitution of the United States when ratified in 1781.

In 1757, Franklin traveled to London as a representative of the Pennsylvania Assembly, to which he was elected in 1751. Over several years, he worked to settle a tax dispute and other issues involving descendants of William Penn (1644-1718), the owners of the colony of Pennsylvania. After a brief period back in the U.S., Franklin lived primarily in London until 1775. While he was abroad, the British government began, in the mid-1760s, to impose a series of regulatory measures to assert greater control over its American colonies. In 1766, Franklin testified in the British Parliament against the Stamp Act of 1765, which required that all legal documents, newspapers, books, playing cards and other printed materials in the American colonies carry a tax stamp. Although the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, additional regulatory measures followed, leading to ever-increasing anti-British sentiment and eventual armed uprising in the American colonies .

Franklin returned to Philadelphia in May 1775, shortly after the Revolutionary War (1775-83) had begun, and was selected to serve as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, America’s governing body at the time. In 1776, he was part of the five-member committee that helped draft the Declaration of Independence , in which the 13 American colonies declared their freedom from British rule. That same year, Congress sent Franklin to France to enlist that nation’s help with the Revolutionary War. In February 1778, the French signed a military alliance with America and went on to provide soldiers, supplies and money that proved critical to America’s victory in the war.

As minister to France starting in 1778, Franklin helped negotiate and draft the 1783  Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War.

Benjamin Franklin’s Later Years

In 1785, Franklin left France and returned once again to Philadelphia. In 1787, he was a Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Convention. (The 81-year-old Franklin was the convention’s oldest delegate.) At the end of the convention, in September 1787, he urged his fellow delegates to support the heavily debated new document. The U.S. Constitution was ratified by the required nine states in June 1788, and George Washington (1732-99) was inaugurated as America’s first president in April 1789.

Franklin died a year later, at age 84, on April 17, 1790, in Philadelphia. Following a funeral that was attended by an estimated 20,000 people, he was buried in Philadelphia’s Christ Church cemetery. In his will, he left money to Boston and Philadelphia, which was later used to establish a trade school and a science museum and fund scholarships and other community projects.

More than 200 years after his death, Franklin remains one of the most celebrated figures in U.S. history. His image appears on the $100 bill, and towns, schools and businesses across America are named for him.

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Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin is best known as one of the Founding Fathers who never served as president but was a respected inventor, publisher, scientist and diplomat.

Quick Facts

Silence dogood, living in london, wife and children, life in philadelphia, poor richard's almanack, scientist and inventor, electricity, election to the government, stamp act and declaration of independence, life in paris, drafting the u.s. constitution, accomplishments, who was benjamin franklin.

Benjamin Franklin was a Founding Father and a polymath, inventor, scientist, printer, politician, freemason and diplomat. Franklin helped to draft the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution , and he negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War .

His scientific pursuits included investigations into electricity, mathematics and mapmaking. A writer known for his wit and wisdom, Franklin also published Poor Richard’s Almanack , invented bifocal glasses and organized the first successful American lending library.

FULL NAME: Benjamin Franklin BORN: January 17, 1706 DIED: April 17, 1790 BIRTHPLACE: Boston, Massachusetts SPOUSE: Deborah Read (1730-1774) CHILDREN: William, Francis, Sarah ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Capricorn

Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, in what was then known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Franklin’s father, English-born soap and candlemaker Josiah Franklin, had seven children with first wife, Anne Child, and 10 more with second wife, Abiah Folger. Franklin was his 15th child and youngest son.

Franklin learned to read at an early age, and despite his success at the Boston Latin School, he stopped his formal schooling at 10 to work full-time in his cash-strapped father’s candle and soap shop. Dipping wax and cutting wicks didn’t fire the young boy’s imagination, however.

Perhaps to dissuade him from going to sea as one of his other sons had done, Josiah apprenticed 12-year-old Franklin at the print shop run by his older brother James.

Although James mistreated and frequently beat his younger brother, Franklin learned a great deal about newspaper publishing and adopted a similar brand of subversive politics under the printer’s tutelage.

When James refused to publish any of his brother’s writing, 16-year-old Franklin adopted the pseudonym Mrs. Silence Dogood, and “her” 14 imaginative and witty letters delighted readers of his brother’s newspaper, The New England Courant . James grew angry, however, when he learned that his apprentice had penned the letters.

Tired of his brother’s “harsh and tyrannical” behavior, Franklin fled Boston in 1723 although he had three years remaining on a legally binding contract with his master.

He escaped to New York before settling in Philadelphia and began working with another printer. Philadelphia became his home base for the rest of his life.

Encouraged by Pennsylvania Governor William Keith to set up his own print shop, Franklin left for London in 1724 to purchase supplies from stationers, booksellers and printers. When the teenager arrived in England, however, he felt duped when Keith’s letters of introduction never arrived as promised.

Although forced to find work at London’s print shops, Franklin took full advantage of the city’s pleasures—attending theater performances, mingling with the locals in coffee houses and continuing his lifelong passion for reading.

A self-taught swimmer who crafted his own wooden flippers, Franklin performed long-distance swims on the Thames River. (In 1968, he was inducted as an honorary member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame .)

In 1725 Franklin published his first pamphlet, "A Dissertation upon Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain," which argued that humans lack free will and, thus, are not morally responsible for their actions. (Franklin later repudiated this thought and burned all but one copy of the pamphlet still in his possession.)

In 1723, after Franklin moved from Boston to Philadelphia, he lodged at the home of John Read, where he met and courted his landlord’s daughter Deborah.

After Franklin returned to Philadelphia in 1726, he discovered that Deborah had married in the interim, only to be abandoned by her husband just months after the wedding.

The future Founding Father rekindled his romance with Deborah Read and he took her as his common-law wife in 1730. Around that time, Franklin fathered a son, William, out of wedlock who was taken in by the couple. The pair’s first son, Francis, was born in 1732, but he died four years later of smallpox. The couple’s only daughter, Sarah, was born in 1743.

The two times Franklin moved to London, in 1757 and again in 1764, it was without Deborah, who refused to leave Philadelphia. His second stay was the last time the couple saw each other. Franklin would not return home before Deborah passed away in 1774 from a stroke at the age of 66.

In 1762, Franklin’s son William took office as New Jersey’s royal governor, a position his father arranged through his political connections in the British government. Franklin’s later support for the patriot cause put him at odds with his loyalist son. When the New Jersey militia stripped William Franklin of his post as royal governor and imprisoned him in 1776, his father chose not to intercede on his behalf.

After his return to Philadelphia in 1726, Franklin held varied jobs including bookkeeper, shopkeeper and currency cutter. In 1728 he returned to a familiar trade - printing paper currency - in New Jersey before partnering with a friend to open his own print shop in Philadelphia that published government pamphlets and books.

In 1730 Franklin was named the official printer of Pennsylvania. By that time, he had formed the “Junto,” a social and self-improvement study group for young men that met every Friday to debate morality, philosophy and politics.

When Junto members sought to expand their reading choices, Franklin helped to incorporate America’s first subscription library, the Library Company of Philadelphia, in 1731.

In 1729 Franklin published another pamphlet, "A Modest Enquiry into The Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency," which advocated for an increase in the money supply to stimulate the economy.

With the cash Franklin earned from his money-related treatise, he was able to purchase The Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper from a former boss. Under his ownership, the struggling newspaper was transformed into the most widely-read paper in the colonies and became one of the first to turn a profit.

He had less luck in 1732 when he launched the first German-language newspaper in the colonies, the short-lived Philadelphische Zeitung . Nonetheless, Franklin’s prominence and success grew during the 1730s.

Franklin amassed real estate and businesses and organized the volunteer Union Fire Company to counteract dangerous fire hazards in Philadelphia. He joined the Freemasons in 1731 and was eventually elected grand master of the Masons of Pennsylvania.

At the end of 1732, Franklin published the first edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack .

In addition to weather forecasts, astronomical information and poetry, the almanac—which Franklin published for 25 consecutive years—included proverbs and Franklin’s witty maxims such as “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” and “He that lies down with dogs, shall rise up with fleas.”

In the 1740s, Franklin expanded into science and entrepreneurship. His 1743 pamphlet "A Proposal for Promoting Useful Knowledge" underscored his interests and served as the founding document of the American Philosophical Society , the first scientific society in the colonies.

By 1748, the 42-year-old Franklin had become one of the richest men in Pennsylvania, and he became a soldier in the Pennsylvania militia. He turned his printing business over to a partner to give himself more time to conduct scientific experiments. He moved into a new house in 1748.

Franklin was a prolific inventor and scientist who was responsible for the following inventions:

• Franklin stove : Franklin’s first invention, created around 1740, provided more heat with less fuel.
• Bifocals : Anyone tired of switching between two pairs of glasses understands why Franklin developed bifocals that could be used for both distance and reading.
• Armonica : Franklin’s inventions took on a musical bent when, in 1761, he commenced development on the armonica, a musical instrument composed of spinning glass bowls on a shaft. Both Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed music for the strange instrument.
• Rocking chair
• Flexible catheter
• American penny

Franklin also discovered the Gulf Stream after his return trip across the Atlantic Ocean from London in 1775. He began to speculate about why the westbound trip always took longer, and his measurements of ocean temperatures led to his discovery of the existence of the Gulf Stream. This knowledge served to cut two weeks off the previous sailing time from Europe to North America.

Franklin even devised a new “scheme” for the alphabet that proposed to eliminate the letters C, J, Q, W, X and Y as redundant.

Franklin’s self-education earned him honorary degrees from Harvard , Yale , England’s University of Oxford and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

In 1749, Franklin wrote a pamphlet concerning the education of youth in Pennsylvania that resulted in the establishment of the Academy of Philadelphia, now the University of Pennsylvania .

In 1752, Franklin conducted the famous kite-and-key experiment to demonstrate that lightning was electricity and soon after invented the lightning rod.

His investigations into electrical phenomena were compiled into “Experiments and Observations on Electricity,” published in England in 1751. He coined new electricity-related terms that are still part of the lexicon, such as battery, charge, conductor and electrify.

In 1748, Franklin acquired the first of several enslaved people to work in his new home and in the print shop. Franklin’s views on slavery evolved over the following decades to the point that he considered the institution inherently evil, and thus, he freed his enslaved people in the 1760s.

Later in life, he became more vociferous in his opposition to slavery. Franklin served as president of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and wrote many tracts urging the abolition of slavery . In 1790 he petitioned the U.S. Congress to end slavery and the trade.

Franklin became a member of Philadelphia’s city council in 1748 and a justice of the peace the following year. In 1751, he was elected a Philadelphia alderman and a representative to the Pennsylvania Assembly, a position to which he was re-elected annually until 1764. Two years later, he accepted a royal appointment as deputy postmaster general of North America.

When the French and Indian War began in 1754, Franklin called on the colonies to band together for their common defense, which he dramatized in The Pennsylvania Gazette with a cartoon of a snake cut into sections with the caption “Join or Die.”

He represented Pennsylvania at the Albany Congress, which adopted his proposal to create a unified government for the 13 colonies. Franklin’s “Plan of Union,” however, failed to be ratified by the colonies.

In 1757 Franklin was appointed by the Pennsylvania Assembly to serve as the colony’s agent in England. Franklin sailed to London to negotiate a long-standing dispute with the proprietors of the colony, the Penn family, taking William and his two enslaved people but leaving behind Deborah and Sarah.

He spent much of the next two decades in London, where he was drawn to the high society and intellectual salons of the cosmopolitan city.

After Franklin returned to Philadelphia in 1762, he toured the colonies to inspect its post offices.

After Franklin lost his seat in the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1764, he returned to London as the colony’s agent. Franklin returned at a tense time in Great Britain’s relations with the American colonies.

The British Parliament ’s passage of the Stamp Act in March 1765 imposed a highly unpopular tax on all printed materials for commercial and legal use in the American colonies. Since Franklin purchased stamps for his printing business and nominated a friend as the Pennsylvania stamp distributor, some colonists thought Franklin implicitly supported the new tax, and rioters in Philadelphia even threatened his house.

Franklin’s passionate denunciation of the tax in testimony before Parliament, however, contributed to the Stamp Act’s repeal in 1766.

Two years later he penned a pamphlet, “Causes of the American Discontents before 1768,” and he soon became an agent for Massachusetts, Georgia and New Jersey as well. Franklin fanned the flames of revolution by sending the private letters of Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson to America.

The letters called for the restriction of the rights of colonists, which caused a firestorm after their publication by Boston newspapers. In the wake of the scandal, Franklin was removed as deputy postmaster general, and he returned to North America in 1775 as a devotee of the patriot cause.

In 1775, Franklin was elected to the Second Continental Congress and appointed the first postmaster general for the colonies. In 1776, he was appointed commissioner to Canada and was one of five men to draft the Declaration of Independence.

After voting for independence in 1776, Franklin was elected commissioner to France, making him essentially the first U.S. ambassador to France. He set sail to negotiate a treaty for the country’s military and financial support.

Much has been made of Franklin’s years in Paris, chiefly his rich romantic life in his nine years abroad after Deborah’s death. At the age of 74, he even proposed marriage to a widow named Madame Helvetius, but she rejected him.

Franklin was embraced in France as much, if not more, for his wit and intellectual standing in the scientific community as for his status as a political appointee from a fledgling country.

His reputation facilitated respect and entrees into closed communities, including the court of King Louis XVI . And it was his adept diplomacy that led to the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which ended the Revolutionary War. After almost a decade in France, Franklin returned to the United States in 1785.

Franklin was elected in 1787 to represent Pennsylvania at the Constitutional Convention , which drafted and ratified the new U.S. Constitution.

The oldest delegate at the age of 81, Franklin initially supported proportional representation in Congress, but he fashioned the Great Compromise that resulted in proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation by state in the Senate . In 1787, he helped found the Society for Political Inquiries, dedicated to improving knowledge of government.

Franklin was never elected president of the United States. However, he played an important role as one of eight Founding Fathers, helping draft the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

He also served several roles in the government: He was elected to the Pennsylvania Assembly and appointed as the first postmaster general for the colonies as well as diplomat to France. He was a true polymath and entrepreneur, which is no doubt why he is often called the "First American."

Franklin died on April 17, 1790, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the home of his daughter, Sarah Bache. He was 84, suffered from gout and had complained of ailments for some time, completing the final codicil to his will a little more than a year and a half prior to his death.

He bequeathed most of his estate to Sarah and very little to his son William, whose opposition to the patriot cause still stung him. He also donated money that funded scholarships, schools and museums in Boston and Philadelphia.

Franklin had actually written his epitaph when he was 22: “The body of B. Franklin, Printer (Like the Cover of an Old Book Its Contents torn Out And Stript of its Lettering and Gilding) Lies Here, Food for Worms. But the Work shall not be Lost; For it will (as he Believ'd) Appear once More In a New and More Elegant Edition Revised and Corrected By the Author.”

In the end, however, the stone on the grave he shared with his wife in the cemetery of Philadelphia’s Christ Church reads simply, “Benjamin and Deborah Franklin 1790.”

The image of Franklin that has come down through history, along with his likeness on the $100 bill, is something of a caricature—a bald man in a frock coat holding a kite string with a key attached. But the scope of things he applied himself to was so broad it seems a shame.

Founding universities and libraries, the post office, shaping the foreign policy of the fledgling United States, helping to draft the Declaration of Independence, publishing newspapers, warming us with the Franklin stove, pioneering advances in science, letting us see with bifocals and lighting our way with electricity—all from a man who never finished school but shaped his life through abundant reading and experience, a strong moral compass and an unflagging commitment to civic duty. Franklin illuminated corners of American life that still have the lingering glow of his attention.

• A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.
• Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.
• From a child I was fond of reading, and all the little money that came into my hands was ever laid out in books.
• So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do.
• In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself; you will see it, perhaps, often in this history; for, even if I could conceive that I had compleatly overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.
• Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day.
• There never was a good war or a bad peace.
• In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
• Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins.
• He does not possess wealth, it possesses him.
• Experience keeps a dear school, yet fools will learn in no other.

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Benjamin Franklin Biography & Facts

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Quick facts

• Born: 17 January 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts.
• Though associated with Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin was born and raised in Boston. He did not arrive in Philadelphia until he was 17 (6-Oct-1723).
• In addition, Franklin also spent some 28 years abroad, in England and France, at various times throughout his life.
• Deborah Read, his future wife, saw him on the first day he arrived in Philadelphia with a roll of bread “under each Arm, and the eating of the other [third one].” They did not marry until 7 years later (1-Sep-1730).
• Poor Richard’s Almanack, published each year from 1732 to 1757, made Franklin a very wealthy man. He himself estimated (in his Autobiography ) that it sold “annually near ten Thousand” copies.
• Besides his printing business, Franklin was also postmaster of Pennsylvania beginning in 1737. In 1753, he became one of two deputy postmasters of North America, a post he held for 20 years.
• By retiring from the printing business in 1748 (in a lucrative arrangement with his foreman), Franklin had the leisure time to study, experiment, and invent. His subsequent work and publications on electricity made him the most famous man in the North American colonies and a celebrity in Europe.
• Franklin was always a “civic organizer” — initiating street paving, lamp lighting, firefighting, book-lending, and more — and was involved in elective politics from 1751 onward. So his involvement in the American Revolution was natural, but not inevitable. But for events, he may have chosen to stay in England, which is where he was from 1764 to 1775.
• Franklin returned to Philadelphia in 1775, was elected to the Second Continental Congress , made small corrections to The Declaration of Independence, signed it, and in December 1776 was sent to France as U.S. Commissioner to plead the American cause. He stayed there throughout the war, extracting much-needed money and supplies from the French, despite little American success on the battlefield.
• Franklin owned two slaves, George and King, who worked as his personal servants.
• Died: 17 April 1790 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Buried at Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia.

Introduction

Benjamin Franklin, American diplomat, statesman, and scientist, was born in a house on Milk Street — opposite the Old South Church — in Boston, Massachusetts in 1706. He was the tenth son of Josiah Franklin, and the eighth child and youngest son of ten children borne by Abiah Folger, his father’s second wife. Born at Ecton in Northamptonshire, England, the elder Franklin’s strongly Protestant family can be traced back nearly four centuries. He had married young and migrated from Banbury to Boston in 1685.

The autodidact

Benjamin Franklin could not remember when he did not know how to read. At eight years old he was sent to Boston Grammar School, destined by his father for the church as a “tithe” of his sons. But it was not to be. He spent a year there and then a year in a school for writing and arithmetic. When he was ten, he was removed from school to assist his father in his business of  tallow chandler  (candle maker) and soap boiler. In his 13th year he was apprenticed to his half-brother James, who was establishing himself in the printing business, and who, in 1721. started one of the earliest newspapers in America, the  New England Courant.

Franklin’s tastes had at first been for the sea rather than the pulpit; now they inclined to intellectual pleasures. At an early age he had made himself familiar with  The Pilgrim’s Progress,  with John Locke’s,  An Essay Concerning Human Understanding , and with  The Spectator.  Thanks to his father’s excellent advice, he gave up writing doggerel verse (much of which had been printed by his brother and sold on the streets) and turned to prose composition. His success in reproducing articles he had read in  The Spectator  led him to write an article for his brother’s paper, which he slipped under the door of the printing shop with no name attached. It was printed and attracted some attention. After repeated successes of the same sort, Franklin threw off his disguise and contributed regularly to the  Courant.

The journalist

When, after various journalistic indiscretions, James Franklin in 1722 was forbidden to publish the  Courant,  Benjamin Franklin’s name appeared as publisher instead — and received with much favor — chiefly because of the cleverness of his articles signed  Dr Janus.  But Franklin’s management of the paper and his free-thinking displeased the authorities. In addition, the relationship between the two brothers also soured — possibly, as Franklin himself thought, because of his brother’s jealousy of his superior ability.

So Franklin quit his brother’s employ. He first made his way to New York City, then on 6 October 1723 he arrived in Philadelphia and soon found a job with a printer named Samuel Keimer. A rapid composer of type and a workman of resource, Franklin was soon recognized as the master-spirit of the shop.

Recognizing his talent, the governor of Pennsylvania, Sir William Keith (1680—1749), urged Franklin to start his own business. When Franklin unsuccessfully appealed to his father for the means to do so, Keith promised to furnish him with what he needed for the equipment of a new printing office and sent him to England to buy the materials. Keith had repeatedly promised to send a letter of credit by the ship on which Franklin sailed, but on arrival in England, no such letter was found.

Franklin reached London in December 1724 and found employment first at Palmer’s, a famous printing house in Bartholomew Close, and afterwards at Watts’s Printing House. At Palmer’s he had set up a second edition of William Wollaston’s  Religion of Nature Delineated.  But to refute this book and to prove that there could be no such thing as religion, he wrote and printed a small pamphlet, A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain  — which brought him some curious acquaintances, and of which he soon became thoroughly ashamed.

After a year and a half in London, Franklin was persuaded by a friend, a Quaker merchant named Denham, to return with him to America and engage in mercantile business. He gave up his printing work and returned to North America. (Franklin had so many skills, his feats as a swimmer being one of them. A few days before sailing he received a tempting offer to remain and give lessons in swimming —and he might have consented  had the overtures been sooner made. )

He reached Philadelphia in October 1726.

However, a few months later, Denham died, and Franklin was induced by large wages to return to his old employer Keimer. But they quarrelled repeatedly and Franklin thought of himself as ill-used and kept only to train apprentices until they could in some degree take his place.

In 1728 Franklin and Hugh Meredith, a fellow-worker at Keimer’s, set up in business for themselves (with capital furnished by Meredith’s father). In 1730 the partnership was dissolved, and Franklin, through the financial assistance of two friends, secured the sole management of the printing house.

In September 1729, he bought, at a merely nominal price,  The Pennsylvania Gazette,  a weekly newspaper which Keimer had started nine months before (to defeat a similar project of Franklin’s) — and which Franklin oversaw until 1765. Franklin’s superior management of the paper, his new type,  some spirited remarks  on the controversy between the Massachusetts Assembly and Governor Burnet, brought his paper into immediate notice, and his success both as a printer and as a journalist was assured and complete.

The community organizer

In 1731 Franklin established in Philadelphia one of the earliest circulating libraries in America. In 1732 he published the first of his Almanacks under the pseudonym of Richard Saunders. These “Poor Richard’s Almanacks” were issued for the next 25 years with remarkable success — with annual sales averaging 10,000 copies — far exceeding the sale of any other publication in the colonies, and making Franklin a rich man. Beginning in 1733 Franklin taught himself enough French, Italian, Spanish and Latin to read these languages with some ease. In 1736, he was chosen clerk of the General Assembly — and served in that capacity until 1751.

In 1737 he was appointed postmaster at Philadelphia, and about the same time he organized the first police force and fire company in the colonies. In 1749, after he had written  Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania,  he and twenty-three other citizens of Philadelphia formed themselves into an association for the purpose of establishing an academy — opened in 1751, chartered in 1753 — which eventually became the University of Pennsylvania. In 1727 he organized a debating club, the “Junto,” in Philadelphia, and later he was one of the founders of the American Philosophical Society (1743). He took the lead in the organization of a militia force, the paving of the city streets, improved the method of street lighting, and assisted in the founding of a city hospital (1751). In brief, he initiated nearly every measure or project for the welfare and prosperity of Philadelphia undertaken in his day.

The politician and diplomat

In 1751, Franklin became a member of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania, in which he served for 13 years. In 1753 he and William Hunter were put in charge of the postal service of the colonies. He visited nearly every post office in the colonies and increased the mail service between New York and Philadelphia from once to three times a week in summer, and from twice a month to once a week in winter. By the time he left in 1774, not only had the postal service been brought to a high state of efficiency, but it was also a financial success for Franklin.

When war with France appeared imminent in 1754, Franklin was sent to the Albany Convention, where he submitted his plan for colonial union. When the home government sent over General Edward Braddock with two regiments of British troops, Franklin undertook to secure the requisite number of horses and wagons for the march against Fort Duquesne; he became personally responsible for payment to the Pennsylvanians who furnished them.

Notwithstanding the alarm occasioned by Braddock’s defeat, the old quarrel between the proprietors of Pennsylvania and the Assembly prevented any adequate preparations for defense;  with incredible meanness  the proprietors had instructed their governors to approve no act for levying the necessary taxes, unless the vast estates of the proprietors were by the same act exempted. So great was the confidence in Franklin in this emergency, that early in 1756 the governor of Pennsylvania placed him in charge of the northwestern frontier of the province, with power to raise troops, issue commissions and erect blockhouses. Franklin remained in the wilderness for over a month, superintending the building of forts and watching the Native Americans .

First diplomatic mission to England

In February 1757 the Assembly,  finding the proprietary obstinately persisted in manacling their deputies with instructions inconsistent not only with the privileges of the people, but with the service of the crown, resolv’d to petition the king against them,  and appointed Franklin as their agent to present the petition. He arrived in London on 27 July 1757, and shortly afterwards, when, at a conference with Earl Granville, president of the council, the latter declared that  the King is the legislator of the colonies.  Franklin in reply declared that the laws of the colonies were to be made by their assemblies, to be passed upon by the king, and when once approved were no longer subject to repeal or amendment by the crown. As the assemblies could not make permanent laws without the king’s consent,  neither could he make a law for them without theirs,  he said.

These opposite views distinctly raised the issue between the home government and the colonies. As to the proprietors, Franklin succeeded in 1760 in securing an understanding that the Assembly should pass an act exempting from taxation the un-surveyed waste lands of the Penn estate, the surveyed waste lands being assessed at the usual rate for other property of that description. Thus the proprietors finally acknowledged the right of the assembly to tax their estates.

The success of Franklin’s first foreign mission was substantial. During this sojourn of five years in England he had made many valuable friends outside of court and political circles, including David Hume and Adam Smith. In 1759, for his literary and more particularly his scientific attainments, he received the  Freedom of the City  of Edinburgh and the degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of St Andrews. (He had already received a Master of Arts at Harvard and at Yale in 1753, and at the College of William and Mary in 1756. And in 1762 he received the degree of Doctor of Civil Law at Oxford University.)

Franklin sailed for America in August 1762, hoping to be able to settle down quietly and devote the remainder of his life to experiments in physics. This quiet was interrupted, however, by the  Paxton Massacre  (14-Dec-1763) — the slaughter of 20 Indian children, women and old men at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, by some young rowdies from the town of Paxton, who then marched to Philadelphia to kill a few Christian Indians there. Franklin appealed to by the governor and raised a troop sufficient to frighten away the  Paxton boys.  For the moment there seemed a possibility of an understanding between Franklin and the Pennsylvania proprietors.

Second diplomatic mission to England

But the question of taxing the estates of the proprietors came up in a new form, and a petition from the Assembly was drawn by Franklin, requesting the king  to resume the government  of Pennsylvania. In the autumn election of 1764, the influence of the proprietors was exerted against Franklin, and by an adverse majority of 25 votes (out of 4,000) he failed to be re-elected to the Assembly. So the new Assembly sent Franklin again to England as its special agent to take charge of another petition for a change of government — which came to nothing.

But matters of much greater consequence soon demanded Franklin’s attention.

Early in 1764 Lord Grenville had informed the London agents of the American colonies that he proposed to lay a portion of the burden left by the war with France upon the shoulders of the colonists by means of a stamp duty, unless some other tax equally productive and less inconvenient were proposed. The natural objection of the colonies, as voiced for example by the Pennsylvania Assembly, was that it was a cruel thing to tax colonies already taxed beyond their strength, surrounded by enemies and exposed to constant expenditures for defense, and that it was an indignity that they should be taxed by a Parliament in which they were not represented. At the same time the Assembly recognized it as  their duty to grant aid to the crown, according to their abilities, whenever required of them in the usual manner.

To prevent the introduction of the Stamp Act, which he characterized as  the mother of mischief,  Franklin used every effort, but the bill was easily passed. It was thought that the colonists would soon be reconciled to it. Because he, too, thought so, and because he recommended John Hughes, a merchant of Philadelphia, for the office of distributor of stamps, Franklin himself was denounced — he was even accused of having planned the Stamp Act — and his family in Philadelphia was in danger of mob violence.

Franklin was questioned by Parliament as to the effects of the Stamp Act in February 1766. Edmund Burke said that the scene reminded him of a master examined by a parcel of schoolboys, and George Whitefield said:  Dr Franklin has gained immortal honor by his behavior at the bar of the House. His answer was always found equal to the questioner. He stood unappalled, gave pleasure to his friends and did honor to his country.  Franklin compared the position of the colonies to that of Scotland in the days before the union, and in the same year (1766) audaciously urged a similar union with the colonies before it was too late. The knowledge of colonial affairs gained from Franklin’s testimony, probably more than all other causes combined, determined the immediate repeal of the Stamp Act. For Franklin this was a great triumph, and the news of it filled the colonists with delight and restored him to their confidence and affection.

However, another bill — the Declaratory Act — was almost immediately passed by the King’s party, asserting absolute supremacy of parliament over the colonies. In the succeeding Parliament, the Townshend Acts of 1767 imposed duties on paper, paints, and glass imported by the colonists; in addition, a tax was imposed on tea. The imposition of these taxes was bitterly resented in the colonies, where it quickly crystallized public opinion round the principle of  No taxation without representation.  Despite the opposition in the colonies to the Declaratory Act, the Townshend Acts and the tea tax, Franklin continued to assure the British ministry and the British public of the loyalty of the colonists. He tried to find some middle ground of reconciliation, and kept up his quiet work of informing England as to the opinions and conditions of the colonies, and of moderating the attitude of the colonies toward the home government. He was accused in America of being too much an Englishman, and in England of being too much an American.

He was agent now, not only of Pennsylvania, but also of New Jersey, Georgia, and Massachusetts as well. The Earl of Hillsborough, who became Secretary of State for the Colonies in 1768, refused to recognize Franklin as agent of Massachusetts, because the governor of Massachusetts had not approved the appointment, which was by resolution of the Assembly. Franklin contended that the governor, as a mere agent of the king, could have nothing to do with the assembly’s appointment of its agent to the King; that  the King, and not the King, Lords, and Commons collectively, is their sovereign; and that the King, with  their  respective Parliaments, is their only legislator.  Franklin’s influence helped to oust Hillsborough. Lord Dartmouth, whose name Franklin suggested, was made secretary in 1772 — and he promptly recognized Franklin as the agent of Massachusetts.

In 1773 there appeared in the  Public Advertiser  one of Franklin’s cleverest hoaxes,  An Edict of the King of Prussia,  proclaiming that the island of Britain was a colony of Prussia, having been settled by Angles and Saxons, having been protected by Prussia, having been defended by Prussia against France in the war just past, and never having been definitely freed from Prussia’s rule; and that, therefore, Great Britain should now submit to certain taxes laid by Prussia — the taxes being identical with those laid upon the American colonies by Great Britain.

In the same year occurred the famous episode of the Hutchinson Letters. These were written by Thomas Hutchinson , Governor of Massachusetts, Andrew Oliver (1706-1774), his lieutenant-governor, and others to William Whately, a member of Parliament and private secretary to Prime Minister George Grenville, suggesting an increase of the power of the governor at the expense of the Assembly,  an abridgement of what are called English liberties,  and other measures more extreme than those undertaken by the government. The correspondence was shown to Franklin by a mysterious  member of parliament  to back up the contention that the quartering of troops in Boston was suggested, not by the British ministry, but by Americans and Bostonians. Upon his promise not to publish the letters Franklin received permission to send them to Massachusetts, where they were much passed about and were printed, and they were soon republished in English newspapers.

Upon receiving the letters, the Massachusetts Assembly resolved to petition the crown for the removal of both Hutchinson and Oliver. The petition was refused and was condemned as scandalous, and Franklin, who took upon himself the responsibility for the publication of the letters, in the hearing before the privy council at the Cockpit on 29 January 1774, was insulted and was called a thief by Alexander Wedderburn (the solicitor-general, who appeared for Hutchinson and Oliver), and was removed from his position as head of the post office in the American colonies.

Convinced that his usefulness in England was at an end, Franklin entrusted his agencies to the care of  Arthur Lee . On the 21 March 1775 he set sail for Philadelphia.

During the last years of his stay in England there had been repeated attempts to win him to the British service, and in these same years he had done great work for the colonies by gaining friends for them among the opposition, and by impressing France with his ability and the excellence of his case.

Member of the Continental Congress

Upon reaching America, he heard of the fighting at Lexington and Concord, and with the news of an actual outbreak of hostilities his feeling toward England seems to have changed completely. He was no longer a peacemaker, but an ardent warmaker. On 6 May, the day after his arrival in Philadelphia, he was elected by the Pennsylvania Assembly a delegate to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. In October he was elected a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly — but since members of that body were still required to take an oath of allegiance to the crown, he refused to serve. In Congress he served on as many as ten committees, and upon the organization of a continental postal system, he was made Postmaster General, a position he held for one year. (In 1776 he was succeeded by his son-in-law, Richard Bache, who had been his deputy.)

Along with Benjamin Harrison,  John Dickinson , Thomas Johnson, and  John Jay  he was appointed in November 1775 to a committee to carry on a secret correspondence with the friends of America  in Great Britain, Ireland and other parts of the world.  He planned an appeal to King Louis XVI of France for aid, and wrote the instructions of  Silas Deane  who was to convey it. In April 1776 he went to Montreal with  Charles Carroll , Samuel Chase, and John Carroll, as a member of the commission which conferred with General  Benedict Arnold , and attempted — without success — to gain the cooperation of Canada.

Immediately after his return from Montreal he was a member of the  Committee of Five  appointed to draw up the Declaration of Independence, but he took no actual part himself in drafting that instrument, aside from suggesting the change or insertion of a few words in Jefferson’s draft. From 16 July 28 September he acted as president of the Constitutional Convention of Pennsylvania.

Along with  John Adams  and Edward Rutledge, Franklin was selected by Congress to discuss the terms of peace proposed by Admiral  Richard Howe  (Sep-1776 at Staten Island) , who had arrived in New York harbor in July — and who had been an intimate friend of Franklin. But their discussion was fruitless, as the American commissioners refused to retreat  back of this step of independency.

Commissioner to France

On 26 September in the same year, Franklin was chosen as Commissioner to France to join Arthur Lee, who was in London, and Silas Deane (who had arrived in France in June 1776). He collected all the money he could command, between £3000 and £4000, lent it to Congress before he set sail, and arrived at Paris on the 22 December. He found quarters at Passy, then a suburb of Paris, in a house belonging to Le Ray de Chaumont, an active friend of the American cause who had influential relations with the Court, through whom he was enabled to be in the fullest communication with the French government without compromising it in the eyes of Great Britain.

At the time of Franklin’s arrival in Paris he was already famous for his experiments in electricity. He was a member of every important learned society in Europe; he was a member, and one of the managers, of the Royal Society; and was one of eight foreign members of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris. Three editions of his scientific works had already appeared in Paris, and a new edition had recently appeared in London. To all these advantages he added a political purpose — the dismemberment of the British empire — which was entirely congenial to every citizen of France.  Franklin’s reputation,  wrote John Adams with characteristic extravagance,

…was more universal than that of Leibnitz or Newton, Frederick [the Great] or Voltaire; and his character more esteemed and beloved than all of them…. If a collection could be made of all the gazettes of Europe, for the latter half of the 18th century, a greater number of panegyrical paragraphs upon le grand Franklin  would appear, it is believed, than upon any other man that ever lived.

According to Friedrich Christoph Schlosser,

Franklin’s appearance in the French salons, even before he began to negotiate, was an event of great importance to the whole of Europe…. His dress, the simplicity of his external appearance, the friendly meekness of the old man, and the apparent humility of the Quaker, procured for Freedom a mass of votaries among the coon circles who used to be alarmed at its coarseness and unsophisticated truths. Such was the number of portraits, busts and medallions of him in circulation before he left Paris that he would have been recognized from them by any adult citizen in any part of the civilized world.

Franklin’s position in France was a difficult one from the start, because of the delicacy of the task of getting French aid at a time when France was unready to openly take sides against Great Britain. But on 6 February 1778, after the news of the defeat and surrender of Burgoyne had reached Europe, a Treaty of Alliance and a separate Treaty of Amity and Commerce between France and the United States were signed at Paris by Franklin, Deane, and Lee.

Plenipotentiary to France

On 28 October the U.S. Commission was discharged and Franklin was appointed sole Plenipotentiary to the French Court. Lee, from the beginning of the mission to Paris, seems to have had a mania of jealousy toward Franklin, or of misunderstanding his acts, and he tried to undermine his influence with the Continental Congress. John Adams, when he succeeded Deane (recalled from Paris through Lee’s machinations) joined in the chorus of fault-finding against Franklin. He dilated upon his social habits, his personal slothfulness, and his complete lack of a business-like system. But Adams soon came to see that — although careless of details — Franklin was doing what no other man could have done, and he ceased his harsher criticism.

Even greater than his diplomatic difficulties were Franklin’s financial straits. Drafts were being drawn on him by all the American agents in Europe and by the Continental Congress at home. Acting as American naval agent for the many successful privateers who harried the English Channel, and for whom he skillfully got every bit of assistance possible from the French government, open and covert, he was continually called upon for funds in these ventures.

Of the vessels to be sent to Paris with American cargoes which were to be sold for the liquidation of French loans to the colonies made through  Pierre Beaumarchais , few arrived. Those that did come did not cover Beaumarchais’ advances, and hardly a vessel came from America without word of fresh drafts on Franklin. After bold and repeated overtures for an exchange of prisoners — an important matter, both because the American frigates had no place in which to stow away their prisoners, and because of the maltreatment of American captives in such prisons as Dartmoor — exchanges began at the end of March 1779, although there were annoying delays, and immediately after November 1781 there was a long break in the agreement; and the Americans discharged from English prisons were constantly in need of money.

In addition, Franklin was constantly called upon to meet the indebtedness of Lee and  Ralph Izard  and John Jay (who was in Madrid at the request of the American Congress). In spite of the poor credit of the struggling colonies, and of the fact that France was almost bankrupt — and in the later years was at war — and although Necker strenuously resisted the making of any loans to the colonies, France, largely because of Franklin’s appeals, expended, by loan or gift to the colonies, or in sustenance of French arms in America, a sum estimated at 60 million dollars.

Peace treaty with Great Britain

In 1781 Franklin, along with John Adams, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, and  Henry Laurens  (then a prisoner in England) was appointed to a commission to make peace with Great Britain. In the spring of 1782 Franklin had been informally negotiating with Lord Shelburne, Secretary of State for the Home Department — through the medium of Richard Oswald, a Scotch merchant — and had suggested that England should cede Canada to the United States in return for the recognition of loyalist claims by the states. When the formal negotiations began Franklin held closely to the instructions of Congress to its commissioners, that they should maintain confidential relations with the French ministers and that they were  to undertake nothing in the negotiations for peace or truce without their knowledge and concurrence,  and were ultimately to be governed by  their advice and opinion.  Jay and Adams disagreed with him on this point, believing that France intended to curtail the territorial aspirations of the Americans for her own benefit and for that of her ally, Spain.

When at last the British government authorized its agents to treat with the commissioners as representatives of an independent power (thus recognizing American independence before the treaty was made), Franklin acquiesced to the policy of Jay. The preliminary treaty was signed by the commissioners on the 30 November 1782; it recognized American independence and granted it significant western territory. The final Treaty of Paris was signed in Paris on 3 September 1783.

By now Franklin had been in Paris for eight years. He repeatedly petitioned Congress for his recall, but his letters were unanswered, or his appeals refused — until 7 March 1785. Three days later, Jefferson, who had joined Franklin in August the year before, was appointed to his place. Asked if he had replaced Franklin, Jefferson replied,  No one can replace him, sir; I am only his successor.

Final years

Franklin at last arrived in Philadelphia on 13 September, disembarking on the same wharf as when he had first entered the city.

He was immediately elected a member of the Municipal Council of Philadelphia, becoming its chairman; and he was chosen president of the Supreme Executive Council (the chief executive officer) of Pennsylvania. He was re-elected the following two years, serving from October 1785 to October 1788.

In May 1787 he became a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia (25-May —17-Sep). After a long, hot summer of disagreement and compromise in the Philadelphia State House, with more politicking after-hours, he used his influence to help secure the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.

As president of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, Franklin signed a petition to Congress (12-Feb-1790) for the immediate abolition of slavery. Six weeks later in his most brilliant manner, he parodied the attack on the petition made by James Jackson (1757—1806) of Georgia, taking Jackson’s quotations of Scripture with pretended texts from the Koran cited by a member of the Divan of Algiers in opposition to a petition asking for the prohibition of holding Christians in slavery. These were his last public acts.

Franklin’s last days were marked by a fine serenity and calm. He died in his house in Philadelphia in 1790, age 84, the immediate cause being an abscess in the lungs. He was buried with his wife in the cemetery at Christ Church.

Personal life

Physically Franklin was large, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a well-rounded, powerful figure. He inherited an excellent constitution from his parents ( I never knew either my father or mother to have any sickness but that of which they dy’d, he at 89, and she at 85 years of age ) — but injured it somewhat by excesses. In early life he had severe attacks of pleurisy, from one of which, in 1727, he was not expected to recover; in later years he was the victim of stone and gout. When he was 16 he became a vegetarian for a time — to save money for books — and he always preached moderation in eating — though he was less consistent particular practice than as regards moderate drinking. He was fond of swimming and was a great believer in fresh air, taking a cold air bath regularly in the morning, when he sat naked in his bedroom beguiling himself with a book or with writing for half-an-hour or more. He insisted that fresh, cold air was not the cause of colds, and preached zealously the  gospel of ventilation.  He was a charming talker, who used humor and a quiet sarcasm, along with a telling use of anecdote for argument.

In 1730 he married Deborah Read, in whose father’s house he had lived when he had first come to Philadelphia, to whom he had been engaged before his first departure from Philadelphia for London, and who in his absence had married John Rogers, a notorious debtor who soon fled to Barbados to avoid possible incarceration. The marriage with Franklin is presumed to have been a common-law marriage, for there is no proof that Read’s former husband was dead, nor that, as was suspected, a former wife was still alive when Rogers married Read, thus making the marriage void. His  Debby,  or his  dear child,  as Franklin usually addressed Read in his letters, received into the family — soon after her marriage — Franklin’s illegitimate son, William Franklin (1729—1813), with whom she afterwards quarreled. (Many speculate that William’s mother was Barbara, a servant in the Franklin household.)

Deborah, who was  as much dispos’d to industry and frugality as  her husband, was illiterate and shared none of her husband’s tastes for literature and science. Her dread of an ocean voyage kept her in Philadelphia during Franklin’s two missions to England, and she died in 1774, while Franklin was in London. She bore him two children, one a son, Francis Folger,  whom I have seldom since seen equal’d in everything, and whom to this day [thirty-six years after the child’s death] I cannot think of without a sigh,  who died when four years old of small-pox (1736); the other was Sarah (1744—1808), who married Richard Bache (1737—1811), Franklin’s successor as postmaster-general.

Franklin’s gallant relations with women after his wife’s death were probably innocent enough. Best known of his French amie  were Mme Helvétius, widow of the philosopher, and the young Mme Brillon, who corrected her  Papa’s  French and tried to bring him safely into the Roman Catholic Church. With him in France were his grandsons, William Temple Franklin (William Franklin’s natural son), who acted as private secretary to his grandfather, and Benjamin Franklin Bache (1769-1798), Sarah’s son, whom he sent to Geneva to be educated, and who later became editor of the  Aurora,  one of the leading journals in the Republican attacks on Washington.

Franklin early rebelled against New England Puritanism and spent his Sundays in study and reading instead of attending church. His free-thinking ran its extreme course at the time of his publication in London of  A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain  (1725), which he recognized as one of the great errata of his life. He later called himself a deist or theist, not discriminating between the terms. To his favorite sister he wrote:  There are some things in your New England doctrine and worship which I do not agree with; but I do not therefore condemn them, or desire to shake your belief or practice of them.  Such was his general attitude.

He did not believe in the divinity of Jesus, but thought  his system of morals and his religion, as he left them to us, the best the world ever saw, or is like to see.  His intense practical-mindedness drew him away from religion, but drove him to a morality of his own — the  art of virtue,  he called it — based on thirteen virtues each accompanied by a short precept. (The virtues were Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity and Humility, the precept accompanying the last-named virtue being  Imitate Jesus and Socrates. )

He made a business-like little notebook, ruled off spaces for the thirteen virtues and the seven days of the week,  determined to give a week’s strict attention to each of the virtues successively … [going] thro’ a course compleate in thirteen weeks and four courses in a year,  marking for each day a record of his adherence to each of the precepts.  And conceiving God to be the fountain of wisdom,  he  thought it right and necessary to solicit His assistance for obtaining it,  and drew up the following prayer for daily use:

O powerful Goodness! bountiful Father! merciful Guide! Increase in me that wisdom which discovers my truest interest. Strengthen my resolution to perform what that wisdom dictates. Accept my kind offices to Thy other children, as the only return in my power for Thy continual favours to me.

He was by no means prone to overmuch introspection, his great interest in the conduct of others being shown in the wise maxims of Poor Richard, which were possibly too utilitarian but were wonderfully successful in instructing American morals. His  Art of Virtue,  on which he worked for years, was never completed or published in any form.

Benjamin Franklin, Printer

Benjamin Franklin, Printer,  was Franklin’s own favorite description of himself. He was an excellent compositor and pressman; his workmanship, clear impressions, black ink and comparative freedom from errata did much to get him the public printing in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as the printing of the paper money and other public matters in Delaware. The first book with his imprint is  The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament and apply’d to the Christian State and Worship. By I. Watts …, Philadelphia: Printed by B. F. and H. M. for Thomas Godfrey, and Sold at his Shop, 1729.  The first novel printed in America was Franklin’s reprint in 1744 of Henry Fielding’s  Pamela ; the first American translation from the classics which was printed in America was a version by James Logan (1674—1751) of Cato’s  Moral Distichs  (1735). In 1744 he published another translation of Logan’s  On Old Age,  by Cicero, which Franklin thought typographically the finest book he had ever printed.

In 1733 he had established a press in Charleston, South Carolina, and soon after did the same in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; in New Haven, Connecticut; in New York; in Antigua; in Kingston, Jamaica, and in other places.

After 1748, Franklin had little connection with the Philadelphia printing — when David Hall became his partner and took charge of it. But in 1753 he was eagerly engaged in having several of his improvements incorporated in a new press, and more than twenty years after was actively interested in John Walter’s scheme of  logography.  In France he had a private press in his house in Passy, on which he printed what he called  bagatelles.  Franklin’s work as a publisher is for the most part closely connected with his work in issuing the,  Gazette  and, making him a rich man,  Poor Richard’s Almanack.

The autobiography and other writings

Bejamin Franklin’s  Autiobiography  ranks among the few great autobiographies ever written. In its simplicity, facility, and clearness, his style owed something to Daniel De Foe, something to Cotton Mather, something to Plutarch, more to Bunyan, as well as to his own early attempts to reproduce the manner of the third volume of the Spectator — and not the least to his own careful study of word usage.

From Xenophon’s  Memorabilia,  which he learned when a boy, Franklin learned the Socratic method of argument. He resembled Jonathan Swift in the occasional broadness of his humor, in his brilliantly successful use of sarcasm and irony, and in his mastery of the hoax. Balzac said of him that he  invented the lightning-rod, the hoax ( le canard ) and the republic.

Among his more famous hoaxes were the  Edict of the King of Prussia  (1773 — described above); the fictitious supplement to the Boston  Chronicle,  printed on his private press at Passy, France (1782), and containing a letter with an invoice of  eight packs of 954 cured, dried, hooped and painted scalps of rebels, men, women and children, taken by Indians in the British employ ; and another fictitious  Letter from the Count de Schaumberg to the Baron Hohendorf commanding the Hessian Troops in America  (1777) — the Count’s only anxiety is that not enough men will be killed to bring him in moneys he needs, and he urges his officer in command in America  to prolong the war … for I have made arrangements for a grand Italian opera, and I do not wish to be obliged to give it up.

Closely related to Franklin’s political pamphlets are his writings on economics, which, though undertaken with a political or practical purpose, rank him as the first American economist. He wrote  A Modest Enquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency  (1729), which argued that a plentiful currency will make rates of interest low and will promote immigration and home manufactures — which did much to secure the further issue of paper money in Pennsylvania.

After the British Act of 1750 forbidding the erection or the operating of iron or steel mills in the colonies, Franklin wrote  Observations concerning the Increase of Mankind and the Peopling of Countrie  (1751). Its thesis was that manufactures come to be common only with a high degree of social development and with great density of population, and that Great Britain need not, therefore, fear the industrial competition of the colonies. But it is better known for the estimate (adopted by Adam Smith) that the population of the colonies would double every quarter-century; and for the likeness to Malthus’s  preventive check  of its statement:  The greater the common fashionable expense of any rank of people the more cautious they are of marriage.  His  Positions to be examined concerning National Wealth  (1769) shows that he was greatly influenced by the French physiocrats after his visit to France in 1767. And  Wail of a Protected Manufacture,  voices a protest against protection as raising the cost of living; and he held that free trade was based on a natural right.

He knew Lord Kames, David Hume, Adam Smith, and corresponded with the comte de Mirabeau ( the friend of Man ). Some of Franklin’s more important economic theses are: that money as coin may have more than its bullion value; that natural interest is determined by the rent of land valued at the sum of money loaned; that high wages are not inconsistent with a large foreign trade; that the value of an article is determined by the amount of labor necessary to produce the food consumed in making the article; that manufactures are advantageous but agriculture only is truly productive; and, that when practicable, state revenue should be raised by direct tax.

The scientist and inventor

As a scientist and inventor, Franklin has been decried by experts as an amateur and a dabbler; but it should be remembered that it was always his hope to retire from public life and devote himself to science. Franklin wrote a paper on the causes of earthquakes for his  Gazette  (15-Dec-1737); and he eagerly collected material to uphold his theory that waterspouts and whirlwinds resulted from the same causes. In 1743, from the circumstance that an eclipse not visible in Philadelphia had been observed in Boston — because of a storm, where the storm, although north-easterly, did not occur until an hour after the eclipse — he surmised that storms move  against  the wind along the Atlantic coast.

In the year before (1742) he had planned the  Pennsylvania fire-place,  — better known as the  Franklin stove  — which saved fuel, heated the entire room, and had the same principle as the hot-air furnace. The stove was never patented by Franklin, but it was described in his pamphlet dated 1744. He was much engaged at the same time in remedying smoking chimneys, and as late as 1785 he wrote to Jan Ingenhousz — physician to the emperor of Austria — on chimneys and draughts. He also remedied smoking street lamps by a simple contrivance.

In 1746, Franklin took up the study of electricity when he first saw a Leyden jar, which he then improved by using granulated lead in the place of water for the interior armatures. He recognized that condensation is due to the dielectric and not to the metal coatings. A note in his diary (7-Nov-1749) shows that he then conjectured that thunder and lightning were electrical manifestations. In the same year, he planned the lightning-rod — long known as  Franklin’s rod  — which he described and recommended to the public in 1753, when the Copley medal of the Royal Society was awarded to him for his discoveries.

In 1752, Franklin performed the famous experiment with a kite that proved lightning was an electrical phenomenon. He overthrew entirely the  friction  theory of electricity and conceived the idea of plus and minus charges (1753), though he mistakenly thought that the was sea the source of electricity.

Franklin wrote to David Rittenhouse in June 1784 that the sum of his own conjectures was that Newton’s corpuscular theory light was wrong, and that light was due to the vibration of an elastic ether.

In navigation he suggested many new contrivances, such as water-tight compartments, floating anchors to lay a ship to in a storm, and dishes that would not upset during a gale. He studied with some care the temperature of the Gulf Stream; beginning in 1757 made repeated experiments with oil on stormy waters.

As a mathematician he devised various elaborate magic squares and novel magic circles, of which he speaks apologetically, because they are of no practical use. Always much interested in agriculture, he made a special effort to promote the use of plaster of Paris as a fertilizer. He took a prominent part in aeronautic experiments during his stay in France. He made an excellent clock, which because of a slight improvement introduced by James Ferguson in 1757, was long known as Ferguson’s clock. In medicine, Franklin was considered important enough to be elected to the Royal Medical Society of Paris in 1777, and became an honorary member of the Medical Society of London in 1787. In 1784, he was on the committee which investigated Mesmer, and the report is a document of lasting scientific value. Franklin’s advocacy of vegetarianism, of a spare and simple diet, and of temperance in the use of liquors, and of proper ventilation has already been mentioned. His most direct contribution to medicine was the invention, for his own use, of bifocal eyeglasses.

A summary of so versatile a genius is impossible. With his services to America in England and France, he ranks as one of the heroes of the American Revolution and as the greatest of American diplomats. Almost the only American scientist of his day, he displayed remarkably deep as well as remarkably varied abilities in science and deserved the honors enthusiastically given him by the savants of Europe.

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Benjamin Franklin

January 17, 1706–April 17, 1790

Benjamin Franklin was a Founding Father, member of the Continental Congress, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and signer of the United States Constitution. Arguably, the most accomplished individual in American history, he was also a successful printer, publisher, scientist, inventor, diplomat, civic leader, statesman, philosopher, and helped negotiate French support during the American Revolutionary War.

Portrait of Benjamin Franklin by Joseph Duplessis. Image Source: Wikimedia.

Biography of Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was an American printer, scientist, inventor, politician, diplomat, statesman, author, and one of the most colorful characters of the American Revolution.

Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1706 to Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger. He was the 15th and youngest son of Josiah’s seventeen children.

Franklin learned the printing trade while working for the weekly Boston newspaper, New England Courant . The paper was owned by his brother James. When the brothers quarreled over letters young Benjamin published under a pseudonym, he left Boston before his apprenticeship expired. Franklin ran off to Philadelphia.

To London and Back

In Philadelphia, Franklin worked as a printer at several different shops. Encouraged by the Governor of Pennsylvania, Sir William Keith, he traveled to London to purchase equipment to start his own newspaper. Unfortunately, this did not work out and Franklin found employment as a typesetter in the Smithfield area of London. A Quaker merchant, Thomas Denham, loaned him the money for passage on a ship back to Philadelphia.  In debt to Denham, Franklin worked in his shop until he passed away.

Franklin in Philadelphia

Franklin formally attended school for less than three years, but he read a considerable amount and in 1727 he created the Junto. The Junto was a group of “like minded aspiring artisans and tradesmen who hoped to improve themselves while they improved their community.” The members of the Junto created a library, which eventually led to the creation of the Library Company. In 1731, Franklin chartered the Library Company of Philadelphia.

Marriage to Deborah Read

In 1730, Franklin married Deborah Read by common-law and adopted his illegitimate son, William. The identity of William’s mother remains unknown. Franklin had two other children with Deborah, Francis, born in 1732, and Sarah, born in 1743.

Business Success and Political Connections

Franklin began saving money and became a successful businessman selling books and publishing the weekly Pennsylvania Gazette . He also clerked for the House of Representatives and promoted civic enterprises, such as the library, that still thrive today. He was on good terms with Lord Thomas Penn and was rewarded with local offices. He aligned himself with Penn’s secret agent, William Smith, in opposition to a large influx of German immigrants from the Rhineland, which seemed to threaten English sovereignty. The Germans had been aided by the Quakers in their move to the colony, and in return, the Germans supported Quaker politicians. Franklin was ambivalent toward the Quakers, who were pacifists. Although he respected their toleration, he hated their pacifism. During King George’s War (1744–1748), he organized an extralegal military association that helped him gain popular support, to the dismay of Penn, who feared popular leaders.

Franklin Gains Fame with the Kite Experiment

Franklin’s most famous scientific experiment is likely that of flying a kite in a thunderstorm with a key attached to a piece of twine. The purpose of the experiment was to prove that lightning is a form of electricity. He published the proposal for the experiment in 1750, although there is some debate as to whether or not he actually conducted the experiment himself, due to the danger of electrocution. His experiments and research into electricity, a new science at the time, led the London Royal Society to award him the Copley Gold Medal. As a result, his name became well-known both in America and abroad.

Deputy Postmaster and Pennsylvania Assembly

Franklin was appointed as deputy postmaster of the colonies in 1753 and served in that capacity until 1774. During his tenure, he made the post offices profitable and essentially franchised several printers by supplying them with equipment on a profit-sharing basis. In 1751 he was elected to the Assembly, where he had to cooperate with the dominant Quakers. In 1755 he persuaded German farmers to rent their heavy wagons to Major General Edward Braddock for his doomed campaign against the French and Fort Duquesne.

Albany Congress and Plan of Union

In 1754, the  French and Indian War , pitting Great Britain against France and its allies from the Native Tribes, loomed on the horizon.  Sensing the need to strengthen the alliance with the powerful Iroquois Confederacy , British officials called for a conference between the American colonies and Iroquois leaders in Albany, New York. Franklin was selected as a delegate from Pennsylvania for the Albany Congress .

The most significant part of the conference was the development of the Albany Plan of Union , which Franklin proposed. The plan outlines a permanent federation of the colonies, as a means to reform colonial-imperial relations and to more effectively address shared colonial interests. The plan was introduced on June 19, and the commissioners adopted a final version on July 10.

Despite the support of those who attended the Albany Congress, the Albany Plan of Union was rejected by King George II and by all of the individual colonial governments that considered its adoption. The Congress and the plan were significant milestones, however, as they marked the first official attempts to develop inter-colonial cooperation among the American colonies.

Franklin Organizes and Leads Pennsylvania Militia

During the French and Indian War (1754–1763), Franklin served in the Pennsylvania Assembly. He helped to organize a legal militia and was chosen as its commanding colonel. He used Tun Tavern in Philadelphia as a recruiting station. The Pennsylvania Militia was organized as Pennsylvania’s 103rd Artillery and 11th Infantry Regiment at the Continental Army. He set up a ring of garrisoned forts for defense against Indian raids and eventually learned that the Indians were upset over being cheated out of their lands by Lord Thomas Penn. This led to Franklin eventually turning against the Quakers.

Franklin Opposes the Stamp Act

In 1764, Franklin found himself embroiled in disputes between members of the Pennsylvania Assembly and the heirs of William Penn. He was dispatched to London where in 1765 he was on hand to voice American opposition to the Stamp Act . His testimony to the House of Commons helped lead to its repeal and he emerged as a leading voice for American interests in England.

Franklin Leaks Massachusetts Letters

For several years, Franklin traveled throughout Europe, where his popularity continued to grow due to his eccentric personality. Yet while in England he grew weary of corruption and was able to obtain the private letters of Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson and Lieutenant Governor, Andrew Oliver. These letters made it clear that they were encouraging the British to come down hard on the rights of the citizens of Boston. He left London in March 1775.

Second Continental Congress and Declaration of Independence

Upon arriving in America, he became a leading figure in the Second Continental Congress , which led to the Declaration of Independence . He served on the Committee of Five, which was tasked with drafting a document that would proclaim to the world the reasons for removing the colonies from the British Empire. The other members were John Adams , Thomas Jefferson , Robert Livingston , and Roger Sherman . Jefferson produced a draft that was reviewed by Adams and Franklin, who recommended minor changes. The document was presented to Congress on Friday, June 28, 1776. At the signing, he supposedly said “Yes, we must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

Peace Negotiations

In December of 1776, Franklin was sent to France to serve as an ambassador of the United States, in an effort to gain aid from the French in the Revolutionary War. He helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which brought peace with Great Britain.  He returned to the United States in 1785.

Governor of Pennsylvania

On October 18, 1785, he was elected the sixth President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, a role that is equivalent to Governor. He replaced fellow Founding Father John Dickinson . He was re-elected to a full term on October 29, 1785, then again in the Fall of 1786 and 1787.

Constitutional Convention of 1787

In 1787 he served as a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention which resulted in the United States Constitution. Franklin signed the Constitution, becoming the only Founding Father to have signed the four major documents that helped to found and establish the nation. The other documents were the Declaration of Independence, Treaty of Paris, and Treaty of Alliance with France.

Supporter of Abolition

In his later years, Franklin wrote several essays concerning the abolition of slavery. Those essays were, An Address to the Public , published in 1789, A Plan for Improving the Condition of the Free Blacks , also in 1789, and  Sidi Mehemet Ibrahim on the Slave Trade in 1790.

On April 17, 1790, Franklin passed away. His body was laid to rest at Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia.

Significance

Benjamin Franklin is important because he helped write the Declaration of Independence, was involved in negotiating the Treaty of Alliance with France, helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris with Britain that ended the American Revolutionary War, participated in the Constitutional Convention, and signed the United States Constitution. Very few Americans participated in so many key moments in American history and the founding of the nation.

Founding Father

Benjamin Franklin is considered a Founding Father for all of his dedication to the cause of American liberty and freedom. He represented American interests in Europe during the Stamp Act Crisis and after the War for Independence. During the war, he played a vital role in helping shape the direction of the Second Continental Congress, which culminated in the Declaration of Independence. It is quite possible that no other American played as important a role in the political formation of the United States of America as Benjamin Franklin.

Benjamin Franklin — Quick Facts

• Born January 17, 1706, Boston, Massachusetts.
• Attended Boston Latin School from 1714 to 1716.
• Began working as a printer apprenticed to his brother from 1718 to 1723.
• Moved o Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1724.
• Bought the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1729.
• Began publishing Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1733.
• Helped launch the American Philosophical Society in 1743.
• Conducted experiments and verified the nature of electricity during the 1750s.
• Credited with inventing the Franklin Stove, bifocal glasses, and the lightning rod.
• Was instrumental in establishing a library, hospital, fire company, and an insurance company in the City of Philadelphia.
• Moved to London and represented the interests of Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts before Parliament from 1757 to 1775.
• Elected to the Second Continental Congress and worked on a committee of five that helped to draft the Declaration of Independence.
• Signed Declaration of Independence in 1776.
• Served as the American Ambassador to France during the American Revolution and during the Confederation Era.
• Signed the Treaty of Paris, which ended the American Revolution, in 1783.
• Served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and signed the U.S. Constitution.
• Died April 17, 1790, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Buried at Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Benjamin Franklin Quotes from “Poor Richard’s Almanack”

“God heals, and the doctor takes the fees.”

“God helps them that help themselves.”

“Work as if you were to live 100 years; pray as if you were to die tomorrow.”

“Keep your eyes open before marriage, half shut afterwards.”

“My father convinced me that nothing was useful which was not honest.”

“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.”

“Virtue alone is sufficient to make a man great, glorious and happy.”

“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.”

• Content for this article has been compiled and edited by Randal Rust .

• 50 US States

50 Interesting Facts About Benjamin Franklin

Last updated on June 3rd, 2023

Benjamin Franklin is an influential figure in American history. He rose from poverty to become a towering intellectual – credited with scientific discoveries, inventions, political theories, and educational reforms. Some call him The First American because of his early campaigns to unite the colonies. As a Founding Father, he helped define the values that shaped the United States of America. He may have died two centuries ago, but he remains a popular subject of historical fiction, comic books, Broadway musicals, films, video games, and other works of popular culture. Read on to discover 50 facts about Benjamin Franklin.

Facts about Benjamin Franklin’s Early Life and Family

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on January 17, 1706, when Massachusetts was still a British colony. He was the 15 th of 17 children in a modest family.

His father, Josiah Franklin, was an Englishman who worked as a soap and candle maker. He migrated to America with his first wife in 1683, but she died after bearing seven children.

Benjamin Franklin described his mother, Abiah Folger, as a discreet and virtuous woman who molded his values. She also gave him space for creative activities, enabling the development of his fertile mind.

4. Grandfather

His maternal grandfather, Peter Folger, was a clerk of court who defended shopkeepers from wealthy landowners. He went to jail for disobeying the local magistrate. As an interpreter, he promoted harmony between the Europeans and the Native Americans.

5. Education

Benjamin Franklin only had two years of formal education due to a lack of money. He did not graduate from the Boston Latin School but made up for it with voracious reading.

6. Early Work

Young Benjamin was out of school at 10, so he spent his time working for his father. By 12, he was an apprentice printer to his brother, James, who founded a newspaper called The New England Courant three years later.

7. Advocacy

In 1722, James went to jail for publishing an article against the governor. Benjamin took over the business. He published letters under a pseudonym, Mrs. Dogood, to advocate for free speech.

8. Fresh Start

At 17, he ran away to Philadelphia and worked in various printing shops. Franklin proposed to Deborah Read while boarding in her home. However, the governor sent him to London on an errand yet failed to provide financial support, preventing his return.

9. Consequences

The absence forced Deborah to marry another man, John Rodgers. However, Rodgers ran away with her dowry to avoid his debts. Left behind, she could not remarry due to bigamy laws.

Franklin returned in 1726. To avoid legal issues, he established a common-law marriage with Deborah in 1730. They raised his illegitimate son, William, with their two children: Francis and Sarah.

Facts about Benjamin Franklin, the Publisher

11. Return to Printing

When his merchant boss died in 1728, Franklin set up a printing house and published The Pennsylvania Gazette . The newspaper was a platform to voice ideas and observations, earning him widespread respect.

12. The Busy-Body Series

In 1729, he attempted to suppress his rival by writing an entertaining column on the vices and follies of Americans. It became a hit. The competition eventually folded and sold his newspaper for a small amount.

13. First Newspaper Chain

Benjamin Franklin was not content with one local paper. He established a chain of partnerships stretching from the Carolinas to New England. By 1753, he controlled 8 of the 15 English-language newspapers in the colonies.

14. Influence

Aside from strengthening the business, creating the chain also allowed him to influence minds across colonial America. He used it to promote unity, encourage debate, and foster patriotism. Unfortunately, the network broke down during the revolution.

15. A Popular Author

In 1733, Benjamin Franklin started to publish Poor Richard’s Almanack under the name Richard Saunders. His writings on folk wisdom resonated with the masses, resulting in over ten thousand copies sold annually.

Facts about Benjamin Franklin, the Scientist

16. A Gentleman of Leisure

Benjamin Franklin became wealthy thanks to his print shop, published books, and land speculation. He unofficially retired at 42 and devoted the rest of his life to studying science and delving into public service.

17. Conservation of Charge

Franklin coined the terms positive and negative to refer to electric charges. He also discovered charge conservation, a principle stating that the total electric charge in an isolated system never changes.

18. The Kite Experiment

The iconic image of Franklin flying a kite during a storm is an experiment he devised to prove that lightning is electricity. It was a success. Franklin extracted sparks from a cloud using a conductive wire and a wet string.

19. The Lightning Rod

Franklin observed that conductors with sharp points discharged silently across a greater distance than those with smooth ends. He invented the lightning rod to protect buildings from dangerous strikes, conducting experiments on his own house.

20. The Franklin Stove

In 1742, Benjamin Franklin invented a metal-lined fireplace with a rear hollow baffle. The design produced more heat with less smoke compared to regular models. The Franklin stove is also called the circulating stove and the Pennsylvania fireplace.

21. Bifocals

Bifocal eyeglasses have two areas of different magnification. Franklin invented bifocals by sawing his lenses in half. It helped him read lips at court – the only way he could understand French speakers.

22. Flexible Urinary Catheter

Benjamin Franklin wanted to improve the design of the urinary catheter after seeing his brother go through painful stone removal. With the help of a silversmith, he replaced the long rigid metal tube with flexible hinged segments for ease of use.

23. The Glass Harmonica

Franklin saw English musicians make sweet melodies by passing their fingers around water-filled glasses. In 1761, he designed a musical instrument called the glass harmonica to replicate the music more conveniently. It is his personal favorite among all his inventions.

24. Charting the Gulf Stream

As deputy postmaster, Franklin investigated why British packet ships were so slow. The culprit: a strong current he named the Gulf Stream. He charted it to help in navigation and cut sailing time by two weeks.

25. Population Studies

In the 1730s, Franklin started observing population growth and found that America had the highest rate among all countries. Doubling every 20 years, he predicted it would surpass England in a century.

Facts about Benjamin Franklin’s Personal Views

26. Religion

Benjamin Franklin grew up in a Puritan household. Although he felt organized religion was necessary to maintain harmony among men, he rarely attended religious services in adulthood. He called himself a deist and a Christian.

27. Doing Good

Franklin often read the book Bonifacious: Essays to Do Good written by the Puritan preacher Cotton Mather. It emphasized the importance of forming associations that benefit society, influencing his choices throughout life.

28. Egalitarian Democracy

Puritans rejected the hierarchy that divided society into the king, the aristocracy, and the commoners. They preached that all men are equal. Franklin weaved this notion of an egalitarian democracy into American culture.

29. Religious Tolerance

Benjamin Franklin respected and promoted all churches. He rejected dogma and doctrine, instead stressing ethics, morality, and civic virtue. His unwavering tolerance helped ensure religious freedom in the United States.

30. The Great Seal

In 1776, the U.S. Congress appointed Franklin, Jefferson, and Adams to design a Great Seal for the United States. He proposed the motto: Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.

31. Thirteen Virtues

At 20, Franklin began to develop his character by practicing 13 virtues: temperance, silence, order, frugality, resolution, sincerity, industry, justice, moderation, tranquility, cleanliness, chastity, and humility. Although he often fell short, he believed the attempt made him a better man.

32. Slavery

Benjamin Franklin owned seven slaves, with some working in his home and his shop. Later in life, he became a vocal critic of slavery. He wanted to abolish the practice and open schools for black slaves.

33. Vegetarianism

As a teenager, Franklin came across a book on vegetarianism. He initially tried it to save money on food and buy more books. Franklin also cited ethical reasons and clarity of mind for avoiding meat consumption.

34. Temptations

Franklin was not immune to temptations. He began to eat fish and tried to justify it through admittedly faulty arguments. He explored meat alternatives and stumbled on tofu, which he attempted to produce from soybeans.

35. Inoculation

An African slave named Onesimus introduced variolation as a means to prevent smallpox. Benjamin Franklin supported the procedure but could not provide it in time to his son. He advised parents not to make the same mistake.

Facts about Benjamin Franklin’s Interests

36. Musical Instruments

With endless free time, Franklin could play instruments and compose music in the classical style. He was partial to string instruments such as the guitar, the harp, and the violin.

37. Famous Fans

Musicians admired Franklin and his enlightened ideas. Mozart and Beethoven composed music for the glass harmonica he invented. Many acquired the instrument for their collection, including Austrian composer Joseph Haydn.

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World History Edu

• Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin: Biography and 12 Major Accomplishments

by World History Edu · July 3, 2019

Benjamin Franklin Biography and Accomplishments | Commonly called, the “First American”, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was one of America’s most influential Founding Father.

Benjamin Franklin was a prominent Founding Father and a statesman of the United States of America. Over the course of his life, Benjamin pushed himself in areas far and beyond politics. Hence, he ended up becoming one of America’s most renowned inventors, postmasters, printers, civic activists, scientists, authors and diplomats.

He holds the singular honor of having his signature on all  four of America’s most sacred documents – the Declaration of Independence ; the Alliance Treaty with France in 1778; the Treaty of Paris in 1783; and the U.S. Constitution in 1787.

Below is an in-depth look at the biography, facts and major accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin, America’s greatest statesman and diplomat.

Early Life and his Printing Businesses

On January 17, 1706, Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger. He was born into a very large family. He had 9 siblings and 7 half-siblings. The relatively large size of the family meant that the Franklins had to do the best that they could to make ends meet since money was not always easy to come by.

Benjamin Franklin’s father, Josiah Franklin, was an English-born soap and candle maker. This form of artisanship was considered one of the lowest paid and ill-attractive jobs in 18th century America. Although he hated doing so, the young Benjamin had no option than to help out at his father’s soap and candle shop.

His favorite pastime was rather reading.  At the age of 10, Benjamin Franklin began to self-educate himself by extensively reading and writing, a habit that ended up paying huge dividends in Franklin’s future endeavors.

Benjamin’s father wanted him to become a clergyman. However, and owing to financial difficulties, there was very little to go around the family. As a result, Benjamin Franklin could only get two years’ worth of (formal) schooling in his life. He spent some of those two years at the Boston Latin School.

Silence Dogood 

Upon attaining the age of 12, Franklin took up apprenticeship training at his older brother’s (James) printing shop in Boston. Gradually, the young Benjamin expertly built skill sets in writing, printing and editing. Under the pseudonym Silence Dogood , Benjamin Franklin  penned several essays in James’ newspaper- the New-England Courant . Benjamin resorted to such cunning tactics because the older Franklin refused publishing his works in the newspaper.

However, all hell broke lose when James discovered that the middle-aged Mrs Silence Dogood was none other than Benjamin Franklin.  The fallout between the two brothers was massive; and in 1723, Benjamin Franklin left James’ shop in Boston and set his sights on Philadelphia. The reason why he left was because he felt James failed to treat him well.

With the experience he garnered at his brother’s printing business, Benjamin was able to get a job as printer in Philadelphia.  A year later, he was again on the move. This time around, he journeyed across the Atlantic and made his way to London, England. Over there, he worked in Samuel Palmer’s printing shop as a typesetter.

Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1736

The Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard’s almanack

After a couple of years abroad, Benjamin Franklin returned to America and collaborated with Thomas Denhem to setup a successful printing business in 1726. By 1729, he had started publishing extensively in a Pennsylvania newspaper ( The Pennsylvania Gazette ) that had reasonably wide distribution in the state.

The most famous piece of writing published by Franklin in the newspaper has to be “ Poor Richard’s Almanack ”. The publication, which ran from 1732 to 1758, was fondly received by the public because of its message of frugality and diligence. The newspaper went on to sell about  10,000 copies of the Poor Richard’s Almanack for close to 25 years.

His ultimate goal in entering the printing business, aside from financial reasons, was to propagate what we might now call the “American Dream”. He tried to use the print media to construct a very morally upright and industrious society across the American colonies. Politically, his association with the “Pennsylvania Chronicle” enabled him drum up support for the American Revolution.

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Benjamin Franklin Facts, Biography, Quotes

Published: Aug 15, 2011 · Modified: Nov 12, 2023 by Russell Yost · This post may contain affiliate links ·

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 - April 17, 1790) is one of the most famous names attached to American History. He began his life in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony , and would become an American legend in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Colony .

He was an influential voice throughout the Continental Congress and helped edit the Declaration of Independence . He served as a diplomat to France and England and helped bring about the Constitution of the United States.

His civic accomplishments are nearly overshadowed by his inventions. He invented a modern stove, spectacles, the lightning rod, as well as a host of other things. He founded the first public library and fire department.

Benjamin Franklin Facts: The Early Years

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It is impossible to talk of the American Revolutionary War without mentioning George Washington or Benjamin Franklin, as both were indispensable to the cause of liberty and the new republic.

Josiah wanted Benjamin to become a minister. He sent him to school but could only afford 2 years. Young Ben continued his education through books. He worked with his father for a short period and then apprenticed under his younger brother, James, at the age of 12.

When Benjamin was 15 years old, his brother James founded the New England Courant. The New England Courant was the first independent newspaper in the colonies and would have a profound effect on Benjamin.

Young Ben was denied a chance to publish anything in his brother's newspaper. James was a bit jealous of Ben's talent as a writer, and as a result, that jealousy held him back. Always resourceful, Benjamin adopted his first pseudonym.

He posed as a middle-aged widow named Silence Dogood. He would slip them under the door at night so that his brother would not suspect him. His ruse worked, and neither his brother nor the public knew that it was young Franklin.

The letters became a conversational piece around town and a drawing point for the New England Courant. It was Benjamin Franklin's first taste of fame in a long line of successes.

The Silence Dogood Letters:

• Silence Dogood Letter 1
• Silence Dogood Letter 2
• Silence Dogood Letter 3
• Silence Dogood Letter 4
• Silence Dogood Letter 5
• Silence Dogood Letter 6
• Silence Dogood Letter 7
• Silence Dogood Letter 8
• Silence Dogood Letter 9
• Silence Dogood Letter 10
• Silence Dogood Letter 11
• Silence Dogood Letter 12
• Silence Dogood Letter 13
• Silence Dogood Letter 14

At the age of 17, Benjamin ran away to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He actually broke his apprenticeship without permission, which resulted in him becoming a fugitive. In Philadelphia, he would work for a number of printers until leaving for England.

Governor Sir William Keith convinced young Ben to go to England to get the equipment necessary to open up another newspaper. Keith's words were empty, and he would be stuck in England.

In England, he worked as a typesetter. He was also given the nickname "Water American." This nickname was given to him since many of his peers would drink beer throughout the day.

Franklin realized that beer cost more money and decided to drink water, which cost nothing, instead of it. The result was that Franklin would be a better worker throughout the day since he would always be sober.

His health would also benefit from this as well.

In 1726, with the help of Thomas Denham, Franklin returned to Philadelphia.

In 1727, Franklin, now 21 years old, Franklin founded the Junto. The Junto was a group of men who talked about philosophy and worked on ways to help the local community.

The group gave rise to many ideas that would benefit Philadelphia. It also gave Franklin much influence since many of the members of the Junto would go on to become successful entrepreneurs.

One of the ideas that came from Junto was a subscription library. While it was not the same library model we have today, it gave birth to it.

In 1728, Franklin and a partner founded the Pennsylvania Gazette. At the age of 22, he finally had his own newspaper. A year later, he would be the sole owner of it.

In 1731, he joined the local Masonic lodge, and in 1734, he was the Grand Master of it. This indicates his quick rise in the eyes of his peers. He also published the first Masonic book when he republished James Anderson's Constitutions of the Free Masons.

At the age of 17, Franklin proposed to Deborah Read. Her mother was not happy with Franklin, so they were not married when Franklin sailed to London. Upon his return to Philadelphia, Deborah had married John Rodgers.

Rodgers avoided his debts and prosecution by fleeing to Barbados with her dowry. Due to bigamy laws, Deborah was not allowed to remarry. Soon, Franklin set up a common-law marriage with her. Together, they had two children, Francis and Sarah.

Francis died of smallpox in 1736. This left a deep wound on Franklin for the rest of his life. He didn't want Francis to get inoculated from the disease, and when it swept through Philadelphia, it killed him. Franklin always blamed himself for his death.

Sarah married Richard Bache, and the two had 7 children. She would care for her father in his old age.

Deborah never accompanied Franklin across the ocean due to her fear of the sea. He repeatedly requested that she came with him, but she never did. She wrote to him in 1769, telling her that she was stressed over his absence. He did not return, and she died in 1774 of a stroke.

At the age of 24, Franklin acknowledged William as his illegitimate son.

William's mother is unknown but may have come from a prostitute. In his autobiography, Franklin admitted to participating in sexual acts with low women.

William and Ben were close to each other. When Franklin conducted his experiments on electricity, William is pictured right next to him.

The two had a great relationship until the American Revolutionary War , when Franklin supported the rebels, and William supported the crown.

The two argued endlessly over their convictions, and it ended with Franklin cutting William completely off from his will.

After the war, William left for England and settled there. He would never return home nor speak to his father again. Benjamin Franklin would also never try to contact him again.

In 1733, Franklin began publishing Poor Richards Almanack.

He wrote under the pseudonym Richard Saunders. Everyone knew that it was Franklin who was writing it.

He sold about 10,000 copies of it per year. That is equal to 3 million copies in modern times.

He retired from the Almanack in 1758. He published Father Abraham's Sermons, also known as The Way to Wealth.

He began to write his autobiography in 1771, and it was published after his death. It is considered one of the classics of the genre.

Franklin was a passionate chess player. It was his favorite game, and he often played it in France during his diplomatic trip.

In 1736, he developed the Union Fire Company, which was one of the first firefighting company

Shortly after, he created an anti-counterfeiting currency for New Jersey. He would become an advocate for paper money.

He helped found the University of Pennsylvania.

He began to flirt with politics in the 1740s. He began as a councilman in 1748 and was then elected as the Justice of the Peace in 1749. In 1751, he would be elected to the Pennsylvania Assembly. In 1753, he was appointed as joint deputy postmaster-general of North America.

In 1751, he helped found the Pennsylvania Hospital.

He was awarded honorary degrees from Yale and Harvard in 1753.

Franklin served as a delegate to the Albany Congress. During this meeting, he proposed a plan of union. While it was a bit too radical for the members at that time, there were traces of it found in the Articles of Confederation and, eventually, the Constitution.

In 1756, he organized the Pennsylvania militia.

In 1757, he was sent to London to argue over the political influence of the Penn family. He would not be successful.

In 1759, he traveled to Edinburgh with his son William. He considered these times as some of the best in his life.

In 1762, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Oxford University. From then on, he would go by the name "Doctor Franklin."

In 1765, Franklin opposed the Stamp Act but made a poor political decision when he recommended a friend for the post of stamp distributor.

This made it look like Franklin was in support of the Stamp Act, which outraged many people so much so that they threatened to burn his house down shortly after he would testify in the House of Commons and argue for the repeal of the Stamp Act.

He was successful, and immediately, many shifted from hating him to loving him. He was viewed as a leading voice for the colonies, and that never changed the rest of his life.

In 1767, he journeyed to France, where his inventions gave him popularity with many popular figures in French society, including King Louis XV. This would aid him during the American Revolutionary War when he was sent to France on a diplomatic mission.

In 1774, Franklin leaked Thomas Hutchinson's letters, which showed support for Britain against the colonies. Hutchinson was the royal governor of Massachusetts.

Members of the British government learned of Franklin's plot and embarrassed him in front of the Privy Council. He would leave London a year later. It was here where many historians mark Franklin's turn from a supporter of the Crown to a Revolutionary.

Franklin arrived in America on May 5, 1775. The Battles of Lexington and Concord had just been fought.

Upon arrival, Franklin was unanimously chosen as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress .

He was appointed to the Committee of 5 that would help draft the Declaration of Independence . He, along with John Adams , would make small changes to the document that was sent to him by Thomas Jefferson. 

On July 26, 1776, he was appointed as the first United States postmaster-general. He set in place the same structure that is still in use today.

In December of 1776, he was dispatched on a diplomatic mission to France. Here, he would serve until the end of the war in 1785. He had little success, although he was extremely popular until the Battle of Saratoga convinced King Louis to ally himself with America.

In 1785, he returned home as the second most popular man in the United States. Only George Washington was held in higher regard.

In 1787, he would serve as a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention. He would be the only founding father to sign all four major founding documents of America: the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, the Treaty of Alliance with France, and The Constitution.

He would also become a passionate abolitionist. Upon returning, he would free both of his slaves and write many essays on the topic:

• An Address to the Public (1789)
• A Plan for Improving the Condition of Free Blacks (1789)
• Sidi Mehemet Ibrahim on the Slave Trade (1790)

In 1790, Quakers from New York and Pennsylvania presented their petition for abolition. It was backed by their President, Benjamin Franklin

Franklin Died April 17, 1790. He was 84 years old. He was survived by his daughter Sarah and his sister Jane.

Over 20,000 people attended his funeral

Franklin bequeathed 1,000 pounds each to Boston and Philadelphia. The 1,000 pounds was put into a trust for 200 years. The trust reached $2,000,000 in Philadelphia and $5,000,000 dollars in Boston.

• Wikipedia - Benjamin Franklin
• Treaty of Alliance with France - Primary Sources
• Top 10 Benjamin Franklin Inventions
• The History Junkie's Guide to Colonial America
• The History Junkie's Guide to the Signers of the Declaration of Independence
• The History Junkie's Guide to the American Revolutionary War

Revolutionary War

A colorful, story-telling overview of the American Revolutionary War

Benjamin Franklin Biography: His Life and Important Facts

Although Benjamin Franklin was not a soldier, his diplomacy secured French support during the Revolutionary War. This biography gives the important facts about his life and his role in the War for Independence.

Benjamin Franklin Childhood

Ben was born on January 17, 1706, the tenth of seventeen children. As a child, his father planned for him to be a clergyman, but they were in no financial state for that to happen.

Due to lack of money, Ben only ever attended one year of school. Instead of schooling him, his father sent him off to apprentice to his older brother at a printing shop. Ben loved to read, so he enjoyed printing, for he was able to read the many writings that came through their newspaper.

Benjamin Franklin: Printer and Writer

Ben wanted very badly to write for the paper, but his brother would not let him.

Being the bright young boy that he was, Ben found a way to write anyway. He posed as an old widow and wrote papers, which he slipped under the door at night.

The public loved this mysterious old woman who was very witty and most opinionated. Finally, after some weeks, he revealed himself. Although the public loved him and commended him for it, his brother was infuriated.

He was scolded and beaten for being such a rotten fellow. This was the last time he was to do this. A few years later his brother was put in jail for a very offensive writing he put in his newspaper about a certain family. Ben was left to run the printer shop alone until his brother was finished serving his time in jail.

Ben did an excellent job running the place and kept everything in good order. When his brother was released, instead of thanking Ben for keeping everything running, he paid no attention to him and went on to scold him later for some wrongdoing.

A few months later when Ben was beaten for being late, he decided to run away.

Benjamin Franklin: On His Own

Benjamin Franklin tried to get a job as a printer, but failed and ended up on a ship to Philadelphia. There he spent the last of his money to buy bread for a meal.

He was spotted wandering the streets by  Deborah Read , who after many twists and turns, would become his wife.

She saw him, felt bad for him, and he invited him into the house.

The Read family took him in and helped him get a job. He worked as an assistant printer for some time.

Eventually, the governor took notice of him and offered to get him started in his own shop if he would only go to England and buy fonts. Naturally, Ben took him up on this offer and headed to London.

While he was in London he received a letter stating that the governor backed down on his deal, so he would no longer pay for him to start his business.

Also while he was in London, Deborah wrote some letters suggesting that they consider getting married; however, Ben said he was not yet ready. Apparently, he took too long to get ready, for upon his return he discovered that she had married another man.

Benjamin Franklin decided to resume his old job as a printer’s apprentice. Soon, though, he realized that he was much better at printing than his master, so he quit his job and started his own printing shop.

Married Life

In the prime of his business he fathered a son named William. To this day only Ben knew who the mother was.

When William was two, Deborah’s husband ran off with another woman and was not seen again, so Benjamin Franklin took his childhood love to be his bride.

p>He and Deborah made off very well in the world. She ran a shop with all sorts of odd and ends, and he owned a printing shop and bookstore. People said they never saw a happier pair.

Declaration of Independence, with Benjamin Franklin’s signature

Ben did all sorts of things for the city of Philadelphia, so his social status grew. He was elected to represent the state of Pennsylvania in the  Second Continental Congress , a position he accepted.

Benjamin Franklin: Spy

He ended up being sent over to England on several occasions to spy out different things in parliament. Because of his family’s loyalty to the crown, it was not hard to get in and out of there without suspicion.

Unfortunately, when he shared his views of the revolution with his son William, they disagreed. This brought a permanent separation between them. Right after Benjamin Franklin, as part of the Committee of Five, finished helping  Thomas Jefferson  edit the  Declaration of Independence , he was forced to throw his own son in jail. This broke his heart, but freedom, at this time, was more important than family to him.

Benjamin Franklin: Inventor

During this time he developed a love for science.  He invented many different things , including the scuba diving flippers and the wood stove, but his most important invention was the lightning rod. This is what earned the title “The man who tamed lightning.”

Later Years

After his wife died in 1774 he became the French ambassador. When he went over to France everyone loved him. He was young rich, funny, smart, and flirtatious.

He stayed in France for quite some time before moving back to America. While he was there he was able to sign a treaty with the French and get them to fight on the Americans’ side for the war. He was very useful in that sense.

When the war was over Franklin worked as a printer again for a short while, then he went back into politics.

His last political jab was in 1789 when he published a writing against  slavery . He died in 1790 and had 20,000 people showed up at his funeral.

10 Facts: Benjamin Franklin

B. Franklin of Philadelphia L.L.D. F.R.S. / M. Chamberlin pinxt. ; E. Fisher fecit.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was one of the of the leading figures of early American history. Learn about this famous American statesman, author, publisher, scientist, inventor and diplomat.

Fact #1. Ben Franklin was a printer and newspaper editor.

• Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1706, at age 17 he left Boston for Philadelphia where he became a well-known printer of newspapers.  He began a popular almanac full of wit and wisdom called Poor Richard’s Almanac.

Fact #2: Franklin proposed the Albany Plan of Union in 1754, an early proposal to unite the American colonies.

• Ahead of his time, Franklin was looking to find a way to unite the disparate American colonies as early as the French and Indian War .  He created a famous cartoon of a snake divided with the phrase “Join or Die.”

Fact #3: Franklin was an important founding father.

• Franklin argued for American liberty abroad and at home.  He was appointed as the first Postmaster General by the Continental Congress.  He was both a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a signer of the United States Constitution .  He famously quipped after signing the Constitution to the people that they had created a republic but warned it would only be one “if you can keep it.”

Fact #4: Franklin represented America abroad and became the most well-known American internationally.

• Franklin spent a considerable amount of time abroad.  He spent years representing the colony of Pennsylvania in England and then later representing the United States in France.  He became universally admired and renowned and played an important role in securing a French alliance during the Revolutionary War.  He also helped to negotiate the Treaty of Paris that officially ended the Revolutionary War.

Fact #5: Franklin was a renaissance man.

• His accomplishments extended well beyond helping to secure American independence and forming the American government.  In addition to being a founding father, Franklin was an editor, author, inventor, scientist, scholar, philosopher, politician, diplomat, and benefactor.

Fact #6: Franklin was an inventor.

• Franklin was always looking to improve the world through new inventions.  Perhaps his most famous creations were the bifocal glasses and the Franklin stove.

Fact #7: Franklin’s famous kite experiment was one of his many scientific achievements.

• Perhaps the most famous of all his scientific discoveries was the discovery that lightning was electrical.  He proved this by flying a kite with a key attached to the line during a thunderstorm.  This discovery led to his invention of lightning rods for buildings.

Fact #8: Franklin’s son, William Franklin, was a loyalist, and their relationship was severed over the Revolutionary War.

• William Franklin became the last Royal Governor of New Jersey and was imprisoned by American patriots during the Revolutionary War.  He was exchanged and ultimately emigrated to England, and the two never reconciled their differences.

Fact #9: Franklin owned slaves and later was president of an abolitionist society.

• Franklin owned slaves but as he grew older became opposed to the institution, going so far as to write pamphlets arguing for abolition of the institution and becoming president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society.

Fact #10: Franklin was the oldest of the founding fathers and the first to die.

• The eldest of the principal founding fathers, Franklin died in 1790.  He was universally mourned by the young country as one of America’s greatest heroes.  In Congress they eulogized him noting that he had “rendered distinguished services to the cause of science and of mankind in general,” and that his “patriotic exertions have contributed in a high degree to the independence and prosperity of this country in particular.

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There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self.

- By Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin - the Founding Father

Benjamin Franklin was one of those rare people who had a curious mind, many talents and the ambition to accomplish much during his life. As one of the founding fathers of the United States, he had the respect of the most powerful people in the country. As an inventor, he created a number of everyday items that people still rely upon more than two centuries later. As a scientist, his discoveries changed the world. Although he was never elected to a federal office, historians regard him as the president who was never president and the most influential of the founding fathers.

Where Did Benjamin Franklin Grow Up?

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Mass., January 17, 1706, into a Puritan household. He had 16 siblings, but four of them died at birth. He was 15th overall in the birth order, and he was the youngest of five brothers. His mother, Abiah Folger, was his father's second wife. His father was a soap and candle maker who could only afford two years of formal schooling for young Ben.

When the boy was 12, his father apprenticed him to his brother James, who had a printing shop. James taught Benjamin to be a printer by trade. In 1721, James founded The New-England Courant, the very first independent newspaper of the colonial era.

Benjamin wanted to write a letter to the editor of the paper, but James forbid it, so the younger Franklin created the persona "Silence Dogood." He wrote letters to the editor under this name, and they generated considerable buzz around town. However, James eventually discovered Benjamin's trick and put a stop to it.

What Did Benjamin Franklin Accomplish as a Young Adult?

Unhappy with his position in the print shop, Benjamin set out for Philadelphia at the age of 17. Once he arrived, he found work in the printing trade. He was only in the city for a few months before the Governor of Pennsylvania asked him to make a trip to London to pick up some supplies. Finding himself stranded and abandoned by the governor, Franklin worked as a typesetter in a London printing shop before returning to the states in 1726.

A year later, at the age of 21, Franklin formed the Junto, also called the Leather Apron Club. It was a group of like-minded individuals who met every Friday to discuss ethics, current events, philosophy and affairs of business. Members of the Junto were avid readers, and Franklin proposed that they mitigate the expense of buying books by creating a subscription library. Members pooled their funds to purchase books to stock the shelves. Any member could borrow a library book as needed.

In 1731, Franklin wrote a charter establishing the Library Company of Philadelphia. It was the first institution of its kind in the colonies. It still exists today as a mecca for scholars and researchers.

Meanwhile, in 1728, Benjamin Franklin partnered with a Junto colleague, Hugh Meredith, in establishing a printing company. After just a year in business, Franklin began publishing his own newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette. The paper included Franklin's essays, which provided commentary on current events and illustrations of moral virtue. Through his writings, he earned the respect of his readers and a reputation as a wise, industrious businessman.

Franklin's other accomplishments during his early adulthood include the creation of a German language newspaper and the establishment of the first chain of newspapers in the colonies. These papers had varying degrees of success.

Love your Enemies, for they tell you your Faults. - Quote by Benjamin Franklin

Middle Years: What Benjamin Franklin Is Known For

Franklin became a father three times over during the period from 1730 to 1743. The first child, a son, was born out of wedlock. A second son, born to Franklin and his common-law wife, Deborah Read, died of smallpox when he was four. His third child, Sarah Franklin, grew up, married and lived into old age.

In 1733, Benjamin began writing Poor Richard's Almanack, which he continued to publish until 1758. It contains many witty sayings that are still in circulation. He also published the General Magazine and Historical Chronicle. Through these and other publications, Franklin further solidified his good reputation among his readers and peers. True to the Puritan values of his upbringing, he strived to work hard, be honest and help others.

In 1747, Franklin attended a fateful series of lectures by Archibald Spencer on the topic of static electricity. The talks inspired Franklin's decades-long exploration of electricity, including his famous episode of flying a kite in a thunder storm to prove that lighting was charged with electricity. His inventions of the electric ground and the lighting rod resulted from his experimentations.

Franklin extended his influence beyond the publishing trade when he helped establish the Academy and College of Philadelphia, which opened its doors in 1751. It formed the foundation for the later University of Pennsylvania.

Also, having served as postmaster for the city of Philadelphia during this era of his life, he became the deputy postmaster general for all the colonies in 1753. While in this post, he helped establish a communications network throughout the colonies. He also studied ocean currents as they related to the time it took for mail to arrive from England to specific locations in the colonies. Later, during the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Franklin would take on the title of United States Postmaster General.

Another line of inquiry Franklin pursued was demographics. He began observing population growth in the colonies during the 1730s, and he eventually determined that the colonial population was roughly doubling every 20 years. In 1755, he published his findings and conclusions in "Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind," which historians today consider to be one of the 18th century's most important works on demography.

His wide-ranging inquiries, research and writings made Franklin a well-respected figure in Philadelphia. His many business ventures made him a wealthy man. He also carved inroads into the politics of the city. In 1748, he became a city councilman. Two years later, Franklin assumed the mantle of Justice of the Peace, and in 1751, his supporters voted him into the Philadelphia Assembly. That year, he partnered with John Bond in establishing the nation's first medical facility, Pennsylvania Hospital.

The honorary degrees Franklin collected during the 1750s attest to his sterling reputation as an advocate of education, proponent of science and ethical icon. Among those are honorary Master of Arts degrees from Harvard, Yale and the College of William & Mary. Later, he received honorary doctorates from Scotland's University of St. Andrews and England's Oxford University.

In 1957, Franklin went to London on behalf of the Philadelphia Assembly. He was charged with mounting a protest over the influence of the William Penn family, who had established Pennsylvania and retained control there as well as the right of taxation. He made frequent trips abroad up until 1775, when the revolution was at hand.

Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom - and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech. - Quote by Benjamin Franklin

Later Years and the American Revolution

Benjamin Franklin returned from his latest foray to England in May 1775. As a representative from the Philadelphia Assembly, he attended the Second Continental Congress. The following year, in June 1776, Franklin was chosen as one of the Committee of Five, whose members wrote the Declaration of Independence.

At the age of 70, Franklin had a painful case of gout, and he was not able to attend most of the committee meetings. However, fellow member Thomas Jefferson sent a draft of the Declaration to Franklin, who was incapacitated at home, and the Philadelphian made a few important edits to the document. He was present at the signing of the final draft along with 56 other influential figures of the era.

In December 1776, Benjamin accepted a commission as U.S. ambassador to France where he spent a number of years among Paris intellectuals, fellow freemasons and politicians. In between trips, he managed to become the only founding father to put his signature on four documents essential to the establishment of his own country: the Declaration of Independence, the U. S. Constitution, the Paris Treaty, and the Treaty of Alliance between the U.S. and France.

In 1785, at the age of 79, Pennsylvania voters elected Franklin President of the Supreme Executive Council of the state, an office which was similar to that of governor today. As such, he hosted the 1787 Constitutional Convention, which took place in Philadelphia.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Quote by Benjamin Franklin

Why Benjamin Franklin Is Important

The founding father, statesman, printer, inventor, scientist, philosopher, husband and father died in 1790 of a respiratory disease. He was 84 years old. With a legacy that includes the establishment of a new nation, universities, the postal system and public libraries, Benjamin Franklin's influence on history is enormous. His likeness graces U.S. coin, currency and bonds, and his inquisitive spirit still stands as an example to scholars, scientists and politicians in the modern era.

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Interesting Facts about Benjamin Franklin

• Since 1928 Franklin’s portrait has been in the $100 bill . Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton are the only non-president appearing in US dollar bills.
• From 1948 to 1963 Franklin’s portrait was on the Half Dollar.
• Franklin was the first person in America to manufacture type. He created a sans-serif font known as Franklin Gothic. It was named after him in 1902 and it is usually used in newspaper headlines.
• Forbes ranked Benjamin Franklin the 89 th richest man in American history.
• As a boy Franklin loved swimming. His first invention was swimming fins for the hands. He tried them in his feet but were too bulky. As a young man he even tried to open a swimming school in London. For his contribution to the sport Franklin was posthumously indicted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
• As a teenager Franklin was a writer, he published his first letter in the New England Courant under the pen name of “Silence Dogood”, a fictional widow of a country minister who has strong opinions.
• For a short period of time he became a vegetarian.
• The most influential book in Franklin’s life was “Bonifacius: Essays to Do Good” by Cotton Mather. His first pen name in the New England Courrant was Silence Dogood, a name conceived from this book and “Silentarius: The Silent Sufferer”.
• Benjamin Franklin never patented an invention ; he considered them as gifts to the public. His inventions were practical and designed to make everyday life easier. As he wrote in his autobiography:

“As we enjoy the advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously”

• Franklin did not discover electricity but he discovered positive and negative charges to describe electricity by flying a kite during a storm.
• Among his inventions are: the flexible urinary catheter, swim fins, library chair, extension arm, Philadelphia or Franklin stove, lightning rod, bifocals and glass armonica.
• He was the first person to chart the Gulf Stream and to propose an explanation of storm movement in the northern hemisphere. He proposed that storms can move in opposite direction from the wind.
• In 1752 Franklin and the Junto club created Philadelphia Contributionship to insure property against fire. Today it is the nation’s oldest successful property insurance company.
• In 1731 Franklin founded the first commercial franchise system in the Americas by creating co-partnerships. He had two female franchisees.
• During his printing experience he observed in that prolonged exposure to lead would cause sickness to those who handled lead printing molds.
• Among his most important public projects are the University of Pennsylvania , the Union Fire Company, the Public Library and the Pennsylvania Hospital, among others.
• It was Franklin’s idea to use a matching grant combining public money with private donations to build the Pennsylvania Hospital . It was the first time that this concept was used.
• On August 27, 1783 Franklin witnessed the first hydrogen balloon flight.
• Franklin was the first ambassador received by a foreign government, France. He was also chosen as the first minister plenipotentiary to Sweden in 1782 but he never visited the country.
• In 1783 Franklin designed and commissioned Augustin Dupre, engraver of French currency and medals, to engrave the medallion “Libertas Americana”. It was minted in Paris for the first time.
• Franklin was the first Post Master General of the United States.
• Franklin is the only Founding Father to have signed all three documents that freed America from Britain, the Declaration of Independence , The Treaty of Paris and the  United States Constitution .
• Franklin was the oldest delegate to sign the Constitution at 81 years old. The youngest was Jonathan Dayton aged 26 representative from New Jersey.
• As an envoy to Europe, Franklin stood before 5 kings.
• Later in his life he embraced abolition of slavery . He became president of the first abolition organization, the Philadelphia Abolition Society.
• Franklin was the first person to petition congress to abolish slavery in 1790, two months before his death.
• In 1728 when he was 22 he wrote his own epitaph.
• When Franklin died the French National Assembly declared a day of mourning.
• His influence in the nation has led him being called “The only President of the United States who was never President of the United States”