Benjamin Franklin

"Franklin" redirects here. For other uses, see Franklin (disambiguation).

Benjamin Franklin
6th President of Pennsylvania
In office October 18, 1785 – November 5, 1788
Vice President	Charles Biddle Thomas Mifflin
Preceded by	John Dickinson
Succeeded by	Thomas Mifflin
United States Minister to France
In office September 14, 1778 – May 17, 1785 Serving with Arthur Lee, Silas Deane, and John Adams
Appointed by	Continental Congress
Preceded by	New office
Succeeded by	Thomas Jefferson
United States Minister to Sweden
In office September 28, 1782 – April 3, 1783
Appointed by	Congress of the Confederation
Preceded by	New office
Succeeded by	Jonathan Russell
1st United States Postmaster General
In office July 26, 1775 – November 7, 1776
Appointed by	Continental Congress
Preceded by	New office
Succeeded by	Richard Bache
Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly
In office May 1764 – October 1764
Preceded by	Isaac Norris
Succeeded by	Isaac Norris
Member of the Pennsylvania Assembly
In office 1762–1764
In office 1751–1757
Personal details
Born	January 17, 1706(1706-01-17) Boston, Massachusetts Bay
Died	April 17, 1790 (aged 84) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
Political party	Independent
Spouse(s)	Deborah Read
Children	William Franklin Francis Folger Franklin Sarah Franklin Bache
Profession	Scientist Writer Politician
Signature

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790), known as "the First American", was an American statesman. He was a very important person in the American Revolution and in making the 13 colonies one nation. As a leader of the Enlightenment, he influenced European scientists. He even was the first thing many Europeans associated with America at the time. His success with the French military was an important factor in America's win over Great Britain.

Early Life and Family

Franklin was born in 1706 in Boston. He was an apprentice when he was working in his father's candle-making shop. Ben loved books and reading. He grew to be quite rich, but he gave up his printing career to do other things related to the sciences. Ben made a chair that could also be a ladder.

Political Life

Benjamin Franklin was a very important person in early American politics. He was a leader in the city of Philadelphia, where he did many important things. He was the President of the Academy and College of Philadelphia. Later he became a councilman, a Justice of the Peace, and later a representative of the city. He also started one of the first public libraries in Philadelphia. Because he was such a good leader, he had lots of important responsibilities in his life. He was in the Continental Congress, which led the country during the Revolutionary War, and he helped write the Declaration of Independence. He controlled the postal service in the United States as the Postmaster General, and made a system for people to send letters. He was an ambassador to France after the war ended, and he was part of the group that approved the Constitution of the United States.

Inventions

He was a scientist and he studied experiments.

Most people see Franklin as one of history's greatest inventors. One of his greatest contributions was his superior grasp of electricity, and the invention of the lightning rod and bifocals (a type of eyeglasses), among other things.

Legacy

Although Franklin owned slaves, towards the end of his life he freed them, and became an abolitionist.

The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (where he lived) marked his three hundredth birthday in 2006.

A picture of Franklin has been on the United States' hundred-dollar bill since 1928. He was also on the fifty-cent coin for a short time.

References

1. Feldman, Eve B. Benjamin Franklin: Scientist and Inventor. New York: Library of Congress, 1990. Print.

Other websites

• Three Hundredth Anniversary Website
• Project Gutenberg: Franklin's autobiography
• Guide to Benjamin Franklin
• US State Department bio
• Website for PBS Franklin Television Series