Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin FRS FRSA FRSE (January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705][Note 1] – April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher.[1] Among the leading intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the first postmaster general.[2]

Quick facts: Benjamin FranklinFRS FRSA FRSE, 6th President... ▼

Benjamin Franklin FRS FRSA FRSE
Portrait by Joseph Duplessis, 1778
6th President of Pennsylvania
In office October 18, 1785 – November 5, 1788
Vice President	Charles Biddle Peter Muhlenberg David Redick
Preceded by	John Dickinson
Succeeded by	Thomas Mifflin
United States Minister to Sweden
In office September 28, 1782 – April 3, 1783
Appointed by	Congress of the Confederation
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Jonathan Russell
United States Minister to France
In office March 23, 1779 – May 17, 1785
Appointed by	Continental Congress
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Thomas Jefferson
1st United States Postmaster General
In office July 26, 1775 – November 7, 1776
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Richard Bache
Delegate from Pennsylvania to the Second Continental Congress
In office May 1775 – October 1776
Postmaster General of British America
In office August 10, 1753 – January 31, 1774
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Vacant
Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly
In office May 1764 – October 1764
Preceded by	Isaac Norris
Succeeded by	Isaac Norris
2nd President of the University of Pennsylvania
In office 1749–1754
Preceded by	George Whitefield
Succeeded by	William Smith
Personal details
Born	January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705][Note 1] Boston, Massachusetts Bay, British America
Died	April 17, 1790(1790-04-17) (aged 84) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Resting place	Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Deborah Read ​ ​ (m. 1730; died 1774)​
Children	William Francis Sarah
Parents	Josiah Franklin Abiah Folger
Education	Boston Latin School
Signature

Franklin became a successful newspaper editor and printer in Philadelphia, the leading city in the colonies, publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette at age 23.[3] He became wealthy publishing this and Poor Richard's Almanack, which he wrote under the pseudonym "Richard Saunders".[4] After 1767, he was associated with the Pennsylvania Chronicle, a newspaper that was known for its revolutionary sentiments and criticisms of the policies of the British Parliament and the Crown.[5]

He pioneered and was the first president of the Academy and College of Philadelphia, which opened in 1751 and later became the University of Pennsylvania. He organized and was the first secretary of the American Philosophical Society and was elected president in 1769. Franklin became a national hero in America as an agent for several colonies when he spearheaded an effort in London to have the Parliament of Great Britain repeal the unpopular Stamp Act. An accomplished diplomat, he was widely admired as the first U.S. ambassador to France and was a major figure in the development of positive Franco–American relations. His efforts proved vital for the American Revolution in securing French aid.

He was promoted to deputy postmaster-general for the British colonies on August 10, 1753,[6] having been Philadelphia postmaster for many years, and this enabled him to set up the first national communications network. He was active in community affairs and colonial and state politics, as well as national and international affairs. From 1785 to 1788, he served as governor of Pennsylvania. At some points in his life, he owned slaves and ran "for sale" ads for slaves in his newspaper, but by the late 1750s, he began arguing against slavery, became an active abolitionist, and promoted education and the integration of African Americans into U.S. society.

As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his studies of electricity, and for charting and naming the Gulf Stream current. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among others.[7] He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia's first fire department,[8] and the University of Pennsylvania.[9] Franklin earned the title of "The First American" for his early and indefatigable campaigning for colonial unity. Foundational in defining the American ethos, Franklin has been called "the most accomplished American of his age and the most influential in inventing the type of society America would become."[10]

His life and legacy of scientific and political achievement, and his status as one of America's most influential Founding Fathers, have seen Franklin honored more than two centuries after his death on the $100 bill, warships, and the names of many towns, counties, educational institutions, and corporations, as well as numerous cultural references and with a portrait in the Oval Office. Over his lifetime, Franklin wrote or received more than 30,000 letters and other documents, which since the 1950s have been collected in The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, published by both the American Philosophical Society and Yale University.