Benjamin Franklin
Minister to France; Delegate to Continental Congress
"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."
Biography
At 70, Franklin was the oldest of the Founders — a living legend whose fame as a scientist and philosopher preceded him everywhere. As America's minister to France, he was the Revolution's most effective diplomat, charming the court of Louis XVI and leveraging the Saratoga victory into the crucial French alliance of 1778. Without French money, troops, and most critically the French navy that trapped Cornwallis at Yorktown, American independence may never have been achieved. He was also America's only Founder to sign all four of the key founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Paris, and the U.S. Constitution.
Did you know?
Invented bifocal glasses, the lightning rod, and the flexible urinary catheter. Was so famous in France that his face appeared on snuffboxes, rings, medallions, and hats — what he called the 'Franklin craze.'
Life Journey
Timeline
January 17, 1706
🌅 Birth
Born on Milk Street, Boston, Massachusetts
1723
📍 Posting
Arrives in Philadelphia as a runaway apprentice; builds printing career
1757–1775
📍 Posting
Colonial agent in London; argues against Stamp Act before Parliament
July 4, 1776
📍 Posting
Signs Declaration of Independence at age 70 in Philadelphia
1778
📍 Posting
Secures French Alliance in Paris; wears fur cap to play the 'American philosopher'
September 3, 1783
📍 Posting
Signs Treaty of Paris; formal recognition of American independence
April 17, 1790
✝️ Death
Dies in Philadelphia at 84; 20,000 attend his funeral