Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin
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Name	Benjamin Franklin
Caption	Franklin, c. 1785
Birth date	January 17, 1706
Birth place	Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony
Death date	17 April 1790
Death place	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Printer, Author, Political theorist, Politician, Freemason, Postmaster, Scientist, Inventor, Civic activist, Statesman, Diplomat
Known for	Founding Father of the United States, American Enlightenment, Lightning rod, Bifocals, Franklin stove, Poor Richard's Almanack
Spouse	Deborah Read, 1730, 1774
Children	William Franklin, Francis Folger Franklin, Sarah Franklin Bache

Benjamin Franklin was a foundational figure of the American Enlightenment whose diverse genius shaped the birth of the United States and the progress of 18th-century science. A polymath, he achieved fame as a leading printer, pioneering scientist, inventor, philosopher, and indispensable diplomat. His civic leadership in Philadelphia and his pivotal role in drafting the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States cemented his status as a principal Founding Father.

Early life and education

Born on Milk Street in Boston, he was the son of Josiah Franklin, a tallow chandler from Ecton, and Abiah Folger. His brief formal education at the Boston Latin School ended at age ten, after which he apprenticed under his brother James Franklin at the *New-England Courant*. A dispute with his brother led him to flee to Philadelphia in 1723, where he found work with the printer Samuel Keimer. A sojourn in London working at Palmer's Printing House and Watt's Printing House honed his craft before he returned to Philadelphia to establish his own printing business, publishing *The Pennsylvania Gazette*. He formed a common-law marriage with Deborah Read in 1730 and organized the influential Junto debating club, which later evolved into the American Philosophical Society.

Scientific and literary pursuits

His scientific curiosity was prodigious, leading to groundbreaking experiments detailed in *Experiments and Observations on Electricity*. His famous kite experiment in Philadelphia demonstrated the electrical nature of lightning, resulting in the invention of the lightning rod. He charted the Gulf Stream using a thermometer during Atlantic crossings, invented the Franklin stove, bifocals, and the glass armonica. His literary output was equally significant, most famously the immensely popular *Poor Richard's Almanack*, published under the pseudonym Richard Saunders. His autobiography became a classic of the genre, and he maintained extensive correspondence with intellectuals across Europe, including David Hume and Joseph Priestley.

Political career and diplomacy

He served as Postmaster of Philadelphia and later as deputy Postmaster General for British North America, improving colonial communications. As a representative of the Pennsylvania Assembly, he famously testified before the British Parliament during the Stamp Act crisis. He was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress and served on the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence. His most critical service came as minister to France, where, aided by his fame as a scientist, he secured the vital Treaty of Alliance with King Louis XVI's government, ensuring French military and financial support for the American Revolutionary War. He later helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris that ended the war. Upon returning to America, he served as President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania and was a respected elder statesman at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

Later life and legacy

In his final years, he became an ardent abolitionist, serving as president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society. He died at his home in Philadelphia at age 84, with his funeral attended by an estimated 20,000 mourners. His legacy is monumental: his likeness adorns the one-hundred-dollar bill, and countless institutions, from Franklin & Marshall College to the Franklin Institute, bear his name. As the only Founding Father to sign all four key founding documents—the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Paris, and the U.S. Constitution—his influence permeates American science, literature, diplomacy, and civic ideals.

Category:1706 births Category:1790 deaths Category:American inventors Category:American diplomats Category:Founding Fathers of the United States