Editing Benjamin Franklin (section)

=== Arrival and Early Career ===

Franklin arrived in Philadelphia in October 1723, famously walking up Market Street carrying two puffy rolls under his arms after spending his last money on bread. Despite arriving with little more than the clothes on his back, Franklin quickly found work as a printer and began building what would become a remarkable career.

After a brief and disappointing trip to London (1724-1726), Franklin returned to Philadelphia and established his own printing business in 1728. He became wealthy publishing ''The Pennsylvania Gazette'' and ''Poor Richard's Almanack'', the latter featuring his famous aphorisms such as "A penny saved is a penny earned" and "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."<ref name="ushistory">{{cite web |url=https://ushistory.org/franklin/info/index.htm |title=Quick Biography of Benjamin Franklin |publisher=ushistory.org |access-date=December 22, 2025}}</ref>

In 1730, Franklin entered a common-law marriage with Deborah Read, whom he had first noticed on the day of his arrival in Philadelphia. Together they raised three children: William (Franklin's son from a previous relationship), Francis (who died of smallpox at age four), and Sarah.