We have a brief summary of the career of Benjamin Franklin, a Founding Father of the United States of America. Franklin was one of the most valuable men during the revolution and his contributions in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania were very relevant to the Independence of the 13 founding colonies. They were a pragmatic man with great social skills.
• He was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts Bay.
• In 1718, at the age of 12 he became an apprentice to his brother James, who taught him the work of printing.
• In 1729, together with his partner Hugh Meredith, he bought the newly founded newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette.
• In 1930, at the age of 24, he married Deborah Read.
• He had 3 children
• In 1731 he founded The Library Company of Philadelphia. In that same year he was initiated as a Mason.
• In 1732 he first published the successful annual almanac The Poor Richard. • In 1734 he was named Grand Master of the Pennsylvania Masonic lodge.
• In 1736 he was elected to the Philadelphia General Assembly.
• In 1747 he organized the first volunteer militia to defend the Pennsylvania Colony.
• In 1751 he was the first to be named President of the Philadelphia Academy and College.
• In 1756 he was accepted into the prestigious Royal Society.
• Between 1757 and 1775 he represented Pennsylvania in London.
• Between 1775-1778 he was the United States ambassador to France.
• From 1782 to 1783 he was the United States ambassador to Sweden.
• In 1783 he was one of the 3 representatives of the United States to sign the Treaty of Paris. The other two signatories were John Adams and John Jay.
• he was one of the drafters of the Constitution of the United States of America.
• Between 1785 to 1788 he was President of the independent state of Pennsylvania.
• In 1790 he died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
During the 1880s Franklin became the richest man in the 13 colonies. His activities as a politician, inventor and owner of the Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper helped build his monetary fortune. He was also CEO of the United States Postal Service, which provided a lot of power and influence at high levels. This agency was created in 1775 before independence was declared and Franklin was its first head until 1776.
Newspapers and the Mail were the main means of communication of the 18th century, and Franklin very skillfully managed both. Franklin appears on our The 1 Most Riched list which you can order here. This digital publication informs who was the richest at each time. This title was later held by individuals such as John Jacob Astor, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller and more than 25 others.
