Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin

Born	January 17, 1706 Boston, Massachusetts
Died	April 17, 1790 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Occupation	Printer, writer, scientist, inventor, diplomat, statesman
Years active	1718-1790
Known for	Founding Father, electrical experiments, civic institutions
Spouse	Deborah Read (m. 1730)
Children	3 (William, Francis, Sarah)
Education	Self-taught
Residence	[[Philadelphia]]

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790) was an American polymath, Founding Father, and Philadelphia's most famous citizen. A printer, writer, scientist, inventor, and diplomat, Franklin stands out as the only Founding Father to have signed all four key documents establishing the United States: the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Treaty of Alliance with France (1778), the Treaty of Paris (1783), and the United States Constitution (1787).

He arrived in Philadelphia as a runaway apprentice in 1723 and transformed both himself and the city through hard work, scientific discoveries, and civic innovations. The institutions he founded or helped establish—the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Hospital, the Library Company of Philadelphia, and the American Philosophical Society—remain among the city's most enduring. His electrical experiments, especially the famous kite experiment, brought him international fame and won him the Royal Society's Copley Medal, the 18th-century equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

Franklin has been called "the most accomplished American of his age and the most influential in inventing the type of society America would become."

Early Life

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts, the fifteenth of seventeen children born to Josiah Franklin, a poor English candlemaker. His formal education lasted only until age ten, but Franklin was a voracious reader who taught himself to write well by studying The Spectator and other publications with care.

At twelve, in 1718, Franklin was apprenticed to his older brother James, a Boston printer. By sixteen he was contributing essays to his brother's newspaper under the pseudonym "Silence Dogood," a fictional widow whose witty observations on Boston society captured readers' attention. His relationship with James grew strained, though. The seventeen-year-old ran away from his apprenticeship in 1723, making his way to Philadelphia.

Life in Philadelphia

Arrival and Early Career

October 1723. Franklin walked up Market Street carrying two puffy rolls under his arms, nearly broke, having spent his last coins on bread. Yet despite arriving with almost nothing, he found work as a printer and began building what became one of history's most remarkable careers.

A brief, disappointing trip to London (1724-1726) followed, but Franklin returned to Philadelphia determined to succeed. In 1728 he established his own printing business. He grew wealthy publishing The Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard's Almanack, which featured his famous sayings: "A penny saved is a penny earned" and "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

Franklin entered a common-law marriage with Deborah Read in 1730, the same woman he'd noticed on his arrival day in the city. They raised three children together: William (from a previous relationship), Francis (who died of smallpox at age four), and Sarah.

Philadelphia Residence

Philadelphia was home for most of his adult life, from 1723 until his death in 1790, though Franklin spent significant stretches abroad. He served as a colonial agent in London from 1757-1762 and again from 1764-1775, and as ambassador to France from 1778-1785. His Philadelphia home sat on what is now Franklin Court, between Market and Chestnut Streets, where he lived from 1763 until his death.

Civic Institutions

Franklin's civic work transformed Philadelphia. He founded or helped establish numerous institutions that continue to operate today:

Library Company of Philadelphia (1731)

Franklin recognized that members pooling their resources could afford books from England that none could buy individually, so he founded America's first subscription library. The Library Company still operates as an independent research library.

Union Fire Company (1736)

He organized Philadelphia's first fire company and created the model of volunteer fire departments that spread throughout colonial America.

American Philosophical Society (1743)

This learned society, founded by Franklin, promoted scientific inquiry and became the oldest organization of its kind in the United States. It still occupies its original home on Independence Square.

University of Pennsylvania (1749)

Franklin's proposal for an "Academy of Philadelphia" led to the establishment of what became the University of Pennsylvania, the first American college to offer practical subjects alongside classical studies. Penn remains one of the nation's premier universities and a major Philadelphia employer.

Pennsylvania Hospital (1751)

Working alongside Dr. Thomas Bond, Franklin helped establish Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the American colonies. His fundraising brilliance—matching private donations with public funds—created a model philanthropies still use today.

Insurance Company

The Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire (1752) was the oldest property insurance company in the United States, with Franklin's help to establish it.

Inventions

Franklin's inventions showed his practical mind and determination to improve everyday life:

Lightning Rod

His most famous invention arose from electrical experiments and saved countless buildings from fire. Franklin never patented it, believing that inventions helping humanity should be freely shared.

Bifocals

Tired of switching between two pairs of glasses for reading and distance vision, Franklin cut two lenses in half and combined them in a single frame, inventing bifocals.

Franklin Stove

This iron-lined fireplace, called the Pennsylvania Fireplace, produced more heat with less fuel than traditional fireplaces and improved home heating safety.

Other Inventions

He also invented the glass armonica (a musical instrument), the flexible urinary catheter, swim fins, and the odometer. He created the first map of the Gulf Stream based on observations during his Atlantic crossings.

The Kite Experiment

The popular image of Franklin flying a kite in a thunderstorm oversimplifies things, but the experiment did happen. In June 1752, Franklin conducted his famous kite experiment to prove lightning was electrical. Rather than letting lightning strike the kite directly (fatal), he flew it during a storm and observed that the hemp string conducted ambient electrical charge to a key tied near his hand, producing sparks.

This experiment, conducted before Franklin learned that French scientists had already proven his theory using a different method, confirmed that lightning was electricity and led directly to his lightning rod invention. It brought Franklin international fame and the Royal Society's Copley Medal.

Role as a Founding Father

Declaration of Independence

Benjamin Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776. At 70 years old, he was the oldest signer. When John Hancock urged the delegates to sign unanimously, Franklin is said to have replied, "We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."

He served on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration, alongside Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Jefferson was the primary author, but Franklin contributed revisions and helped guide the document through Congress.

Constitutional Convention

At 81, Franklin was the oldest delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 at Independence Hall. Too frail to stand for long speeches, he still contributed significantly to the proceedings. He famously urged delegates to sign the Constitution despite reservations, noting that he wasn't certain whether the rising sun carved on George Washington's chair was rising or setting, but concluded it was indeed a rising sun.

Diplomatic Service

Franklin's greatest diplomatic achievement was securing French support for American independence. From 1778-1785, as ambassador to France, he negotiated the Treaty of Alliance (1778) and the Treaty of Paris (1783), which ended the Revolutionary War and secured British recognition of American independence.

Daylight Saving Time Myth

Franklin didn't invent daylight saving time. In 1784, while in Paris, he wrote a satirical essay jokingly suggesting that Parisians could save money on candles by rising earlier to use morning sunlight. The essay, titled "An Economical Project," proposed ringing church bells and firing cannons at dawn to wake people up, and taxing window shutters. It's often cited as the daylight saving time origin, but that's wrong. Modern daylight saving time wasn't seriously proposed until 1895 and didn't become widespread until World War I.

Fame and Achievements

Franklin achieved renown in multiple fields:

• Science: His electrical experiments, particularly proving lightning was electricity, made him one of the world's most famous scientists
• Invention: The lightning rod, bifocals, and Franklin stove improved countless lives
• Writing: Poor Richard's Almanack and his autobiography remain American literature classics
• Diplomacy: Securing French support mattered critically to American independence
• Civic Leadership: His institutions—library, university, hospital, fire company—shaped Philadelphia and American civic life
• Founding Father: He was the only person to sign all four foundational documents of the United States

Contributions to Philadelphia

Franklin transformed Philadelphia from a colonial town into America's leading city. His printing business and publications made it a center of information and ideas. His civic institutions—the library, hospital, university, fire company, and insurance company—provided models replicated throughout the colonies. His scientific work drew international attention to Philadelphia, and his diplomatic achievements secured the independence that allowed the city to serve as the nation's first capital.

Today Franklin's name and image are everywhere in Philadelphia: on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Franklin Institute science museum, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and countless businesses and organizations.

Death and Burial

Benjamin Franklin is buried at Christ Church Burial Ground, located at 5th and Arch Streets in Center City, diagonally across from the National Constitution Center. He died on April 17, 1790, at age 84. Over 20,000 people attended his funeral, the largest gathering Philadelphia had ever witnessed.

Franklin rests alongside his wife Deborah (d. 1774) and their son Francis (d. 1736). The simple gray marble slab reads only "Benjamin and Deborah Franklin, 1790." A long-standing tradition invites visitors to toss pennies onto the grave, a nod to Franklin's famous adage about saving pennies.

The burial ground is open to visitors daily for a small admission fee and includes the graves of five Declaration signers. When the grounds close, Franklin's grave remains visible through iron rails at the corner of 5th and Arch Streets.

Benjamin Franklin Museum

The Benjamin Franklin Museum is located at Franklin Court, 317 Chestnut Street, between 3rd and 4th Streets in Old City. The museum sits on the site where Franklin lived from 1763 until his death.

Visiting Information

• Address: 317 Chestnut Street (enter through Franklin Court Courtyard from Market or Chestnut Street)
• Hours: Daily 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
• Admission: $5 adults, $2 children (4-16), free for children under 4
• Free Days (2025): January 20, April 19, June 19, August 4, September 27, November 11

The museum features interactive exhibitions, personal artifacts, computer animations, and hands-on displays exploring Franklin's life and legacy. Franklin Court also includes a "ghost structure" outlining where Franklin's original house stood (demolished in 1812), archaeological remnants, a working post office, and a reconstructed 18th-century printing office.

Later Life and Legacy

After returning from France in 1785, the 79-year-old Franklin served three one-year terms as President of Pennsylvania's Supreme Executive Council, effectively the state's governor. In 1787, he became president of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, publicly reversing his earlier position when he'd owned enslaved people and published slave advertisements in his newspaper.

His final years were spent at his Philadelphia home, suffering from gout and kidney stones but remaining intellectually sharp. He died on April 17, 1790, three months after turning 84. His will provided for Philadelphia and Boston to each receive £1,000, with instructions to lend the money at interest for 200 years, a gift that eventually provided millions for public works in both cities.

See Also

• Independence Hall
• University of Pennsylvania
• Pennsylvania Hospital
• Franklin Court
• Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• Christ Church Burial Ground
• American Philosophical Society

External Links

• Benjamin Franklin Museum - National Park Service
• The Franklin Institute
• Library Company of Philadelphia
• American Philosophical Society