It is a mere fact that Benjamin Franklin became the president of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery in 1787. In 1728 he returned to a familiar trade - printing paper currency - in New Jersey before partnering with a friend to open his own print shop in Philadelphia that published government pamphlets and books. He set sail to negotiate a treaty for the country’s military and financial support. The couple’s only daughter, Sarah, was born in 1743. But he was much more than a statesman. Franklin was his 15th child and youngest son. We strive for accuracy and fairness. The Committee - Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, Livingston and Sherman; The Declaration of Independence; Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Vice President John Adams transmitting a petition from the Society for the Abolition of Slavery and an address of the people called Quakers on the subject of the aboli Benjamin Rush is best known for his political activities during the American Revolution, including signing the Declaration of Independence. A moon rock is displayed on the bottom shelf of a nearby bookcase. He served as that president for three years. Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790) was one a signer of the US Constitution of 1787, Declaration of Independence, and Paris Peace Commission. 1908 Benjamin Franklin 1-cent stamp: The 1908 Benjamin Franklin 1-cent stamp value is high due to its rarity and the difference in the image printed on the face of the stamp. Benjamin Franklin was one of the most important and influential Founding Fathers of the United States of America. As U.S. president, he completed the Louisiana Purchase. In 1787, Benjamin Franklin became the president of Pennsylvania’s Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. After voting for independence in 1776, Franklin was elected commissioner to France, making him essentially the first U.S. ambassador to France. When the French and Indian War began in 1754, Franklin called on the colonies to band together for their common defense, which he dramatized in The Pennsylvania Gazette with a cartoon of a snake cut into sections with the caption “Join or Die.”. Although forced to find work at London’s print shops, Franklin took full advantage of the city’s pleasures—attending theater performances, mingling with the locals in coffee houses and continuing his lifelong passion for reading. Franklin served as president of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and wrote many tracts urging the abolition of slavery. By that time, he had formed the “Junto,” a social and self-improvement study group for young men that met every Friday to debate morality, philosophy and politics. Franklin returned to Philadelphia from France in 1785. Benjamin Harrison is best known as the 23rd president of the United States. Encouraged by Pennsylvania Governor William Keith to set up his own print shop, Franklin left for London in 1724 to purchase supplies from stationers, booksellers and printers. His 1743 pamphlet "A Proposal for Promoting Useful Knowledge" underscored his interests and served as the founding document of the American Philosophical Society, the first scientific society in the colonies. The next year, he took up the position of U.S. Perhaps to dissuade him from going to sea as one of his other sons had done, Josiah apprenticed 12-year-old Franklin at the print shop run by his older brother James. Was Benjamin Franklin a president? Benjamin Franklin is a Founding Father of the United States. The Only President Who Was Never President. Benjamin Franklin never served as the President of the United States. Silence Dogood, and “her” 14 imaginative and witty letters delighted readers of his brother’s newspaper, The New England Courant. Benjamin Banneker was a largely self-educated mathematician, astronomer, compiler of almanacs and writer. After Franklin returned to Philadelphia in 1762, he toured the colonies to inspect its post offices. He was a very important person in the American Revolution and helped make the Thirteen Colonies one nation. Franklin’s “Plan of Union,” however, failed to be ratified by the colonies. Since Franklin purchased stamps for his printing business and nominated a friend as the Pennsylvania stamp distributor, some colonists thought Franklin implicitly supported the new tax, and rioters in Philadelphia even threatened his house. However, he did serve as the President of Pennsylvania and head of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, a position equivalent to today’s Pennsylvania governorship. Franklin’s witticisms often carry an ominous tinge — and were often edited. His scientific pursuits included investigations into electricity, mathematics and mapmaking. The fact is, unlike his contemporaries George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, Franklin never held the office of the presidency. Founding universities and libraries, the post office, shaping the foreign policy of the fledgling United States, helping to draft the Declaration of Independence, publishing newspapers, warming us with the Franklin stove, pioneering advances in science, letting us see with bifocals and lighting our way with electricity—all from a man who never finished school but shaped his life through abundant reading and experience, a strong moral compass and an unflagging commitment to civic duty. Franklin was born in Boston in … If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! In 1775, Franklin was elected to the Second Continental Congress and appointed the first postmaster general for the colonies. 0 2. In 1790 he petitioned the U.S. Congress to end slavery and the trade. Franklin was a multitalented "Renaissance Man" who excelled in many areas including science, politics, writing, music, invention, and … He turned his printing business over to a partner to give himself more time to conduct scientific experiments. He is sometimes referred to as the "First American". Around that time, Franklin fathered a son, William, out of wedlock who was taken in by the couple. Greek Mythology Stories: Persephone and the Origin of the Seasons, All About Bunnies: 10+ Facts About Rabbits. With the cash Franklin earned from his money-related treatise, he was able to purchase The Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper from a former boss. In 1762, Franklin’s son William took office as New Jersey’s royal governor, a position his father arranged through his political connections in the British government. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. His first child, William … George Washington may rightly be known as the "Father of his Country" but, for the two decades before the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin was the world’s most famous American.. Franklin was a celebrated scientist and inventor. What Is the Market Volatility Index, and How Does It Impact Your Investments? Franklin learned to read at an early age, and despite his success at the Boston Latin School, he stopped his formal schooling at 10 to work full-time in his cash-strapped father’s candle and soap shop. Under his ownership, the struggling newspaper was transformed into the most widely-read paper in the colonies and became one of the first to turn a profit. He served as that president for three years. Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, in what was then known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Ambassador to France, which he held for nine years. His mother, Abiah Folger looked after the home and was the mother of ten children, including Benjamin, who was the eighth child in the family. But the scope of things he applied himself to was so broad it seems a shame. A self-taught swimmer who crafted his own wooden flippers, Franklin performed long-distance swims on the Thames River. January 6, 1705[1 – April 17, 1790) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Dipping wax and cutting wicks didn’t fire the young boy’s imagination, however. Nonetheless, Franklin’s prominence and success grew during the 1730s. At the end of 1732, Franklin published the first edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack. Philadelphia became his home base for the rest of his life. Elected to four terms, his presidency helped ensure victory in World War II. https://www.biography.com/scholar/benjamin-franklin. All in all, Franklin had 3 children. By this time Franklin’s health was fragile and on April 17 he passed away at age 84. However, he did serve as the President of Pennsylvania and head of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, a position equivalent to today’s Pennsylvania governorship. And it was his adept diplomacy that led to the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which ended the Revolutionary War. But, it is hardly known what stirred this changed in Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1749, Franklin wrote a pamphlet concerning the education of youth in Pennsylvania that resulted in the establishment of the Academy of Philadelphia, now the University of Pennsylvania. But if … Franklin became a member of Philadelphia’s city council in 1748 and a justice of the peace the following year. He spent much of the next two decades in London, where he was drawn to the high society and intellectual salons of the cosmopolitan city. The image of Franklin that has come down through history, along with his likeness on the $100 bill, is something of a caricature—a bald man in a frock coat holding a kite string with a key attached. In 1752, Franklin conducted the famous kite-and-key experiment to demonstrate that lightning was electricity and soon after invented the lightning rod. He was a man of letters, a publisher, a philosopher, a scientist, and the first major American inventor. Later in life, he became more vociferous in his opposition to slavery. Franklin sailed to London to negotiate a long-standing dispute with the proprietors of the colony, the Penn family, taking William and his two enslaved people but leaving behind Deborah and Sarah. Approximately 20,000 people attended his funeral. Franklin was embraced in France as much, if not more, for his wit and intellectual standing in the scientific community as for his status as a political appointee from a fledgling country. By 1748, the 42-year-old Franklin had become one of the richest men in Pennsylvania, and he became a soldier in the Pennsylvania militia. He also served several roles in the government: He was elected to the Pennsylvania Assembly and appointed as the first postmaster general for the colonies as well as diplomat to France. These images are from the Records of the United States Senate, Center for Legislative Archives. “Don’t throw stones at your neighbors, if your own windows are glass.” - Poor Richard’s Almanack, … Me and my brother were wondering if Benjamin Franklin was a president. He was a true polymath and entrepreneur, which is no doubt why he is often called the "First American.". After the Peace Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 Franklin had to wait two more years until he was relieved of his duties as ambassador in Paris.Once in the United States, on October 18, 1785 he was unanimously elected President of the Council of Pennsylvania. Benjamin Franklin never served as the President of the United States. He joined the Freemasons in 1731 and was eventually elected grand master of the Masons of Pennsylvania. The fourth U.S. president, James Madison believed in a robust yet balanced federal government and is known as the "Father of the Constitution.". The British Parliament’s passage of the Stamp Act in March 1765 imposed a highly unpopular tax on all printed materials for commercial and legal use in the American colonies. Franklin returned at a tense time in Great Britain’s relations with the American colonies. If he wasn't then why is he in the 100 dollar bill? Although James mistreated and frequently beat his younger brother, Franklin learned a great deal about newspaper publishing and adopted a similar brand of subversive politics under the printer’s tutelage. Benjamin Franklin was a lover of knowledge; after all, he was the quintessential Renaissance man. He began to speculate about why the westbound trip always took longer, and his measurements of ocean temperatures led to his discovery of the existence of the Gulf Stream. In the 1740s, Franklin expanded into science and entrepreneurship. 1 decade ago. He was 84, suffered from gout and had complained of ailments for some time, completing the final codicil to his will a little more than a year and a half prior to his death. Franklin’s self-education earned him honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, England’s University of Oxford and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He was reelected in 1786 and 1787, serving for three years, the limit set by the constitution. Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [O.S. Franklin illuminated corners of American life that still have the lingering glow of his attention. The future Founding Father rekindled his romance with Deborah Read and he took her as his common-law wife in 1730. He coined new electricity-related terms that are still part of the lexicon, such as battery, charge, conductor and electrify. Franklin’s views on slavery evolved over the following decades to the point that he considered the institution inherently evil, and thus, he freed his enslaved people in the 1760s. Franklin served as the country’s first U.S. Postmaster General in 1775.