Benjamin Franklin (17 January 1706 – 17 April 1786) was an American polymath and founding father who served as Governor of Pennsylvania from 18 October 1785 to 5 November 1788, succeeding John Dickinson and preceding Thomas Mifflin. Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat, and he left a lasting impact both on his home state of Pennsylvania and on his country, the United States, which he helped to create.
Biography[]
Rise to prominence[]
Franklin in 1756
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1706 to a Puritan family that had settled in America in 1635. He became a successful newspaper editor and printer in Philadelphia, the leading city in the colonies, publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette at the age of 23; he used the pen name "Silence Dogood". He became wealthy publishing this and Poor Richard's Almanack, which he authored under the pseudonym "Richard Saunders". After 1767, he was associated with the revolutionary Pennsylvania Chronicle, criticizing British policies.
Franklin soon became Pennsylvania's favorite son, founding Philadelphia's fire department and the University of Pennsylvania (as the Academy and College of Philadelphia, in 1751), as well as serving as Philadelphia postmaster for several years. He invented the lightning rod, bifoclas, and the Franklin stove, and he was a major figure in the Enlightenment and physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. In 1754, he headed the Pennsylvania delegation to the Albany Congress, where he campaigned for colonial unity. He also began to campaign for abolitionism during the 1750s, arguing against slavery from an economic perspective.
American Revolution[]
Franklin at the Second Continental Congress in 1775
During the American Revolutionary War, Franklin was one of the leaders of the Patriots, who were determined to create a democratic government for the Thirteen Colonies. From 1775 to 1776, he served as the United States' first Postmaster General, and he then served as ambassador to France from 1779 to 1785 and as ambassador to Spain from 1782 to 1783. Franklin played an integral role in convincing France to enter the war on the side of America, and he was a major figure in the development of positive Franco-American relations. From 1785 to 1788, he served as President (Governor) of Pennsylvania, serving as an independent. In this capacity, he hosted the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. He died in 1790 at the age of 84, and his colorful life and legacy of scientific and political achievement has led to him being honored on coinage (the Franklin half-dollar) and the $100 bill, warships, and several place and company names.
Gallery[]
