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Benjamin Franklin Biography - Quotes
Benjamin Franklin was born at a milk street on January 17, 1706 in Boston. Franklin was the tenth son (out of seventeen children) of a candle maker, Thomas Franklin, and eighth child of Abiah Folger.
Franklin's father could only afford Benjamin to receive one year of schooling. However, Franklin loved reading and became an apprentice to his brother James, who was a printer. At the age of 12, Franklin helped James compose pamphlets and set type and sell their products on the streets.
When Franklin was fifteen, his brother started The New England Courant, which was the first newspaper in Boston which carried articles,opinion pieces, advertisements and ship schedules.
Benjamin was jealous of Jamses's friends who wrote for the paper. However, he knew his brother would never let him write for it. So, Franklin began writing letters at night and signing them with the name "Silence Dogood", who was supposed to be a middle-aged widow.
Silence Dogood was full of advice and critical of the world around her, particularly issues for women. The letters were a huge success, however after sixteen letters, Franklin confessed that he had been writing the letters all along. James's friends thought Benjamin was precocious and funny, however James scolded him.
The Franklin family became at odds with the Mathers, Bostonian Puritan preachers, after they supported inoculation, while the Franklin's believed it only made people sicker. Most Bostonians agreed with the Franklin's, however disliked how James ridiculed the clergy during a debate. James was ultimately imprisoned for his views leaving Benjamin to run the paper for several issues.
After James was released, he began harassing and beating Benjamin from time to tome. Franklin decided to run away and found himself a new home in Philadelphia on October 6, 1723.
Franklin met his future wife, Deborah Read, the same day, although they didn't marry until seven years later. He was wet and disheveled from his long voyage through New York and New Jersey. The Reads then allowed young Franklin to stay in their home.
Franklin found work as an apprentice printer before the governor of Pennsylvania, Sir William Keith, promised to set up a business for him if he would travel to London and buy fonts and printing equipment. Unluckily though, the governor went back on his word; leaving Franklin in London for several months doing print work, at what is now the church of St. Batholomew the Great, Smithfield, to earn enough money to return home, along with the help of Thomas Denham who allowed Franklin to work as a clerk, shopkeeper and bookkeeper in his business.
Before Franklin left to London, Franklin had asked for Deborah's hand in marriage. However, her mother, having lost a husband of her own and was wary of her daughter marrying a seventeen year old man, declined the offer.
After his return to Philadelphia, Franklin worked in Denham's shop for a short time, but after his death, Franklin went back to being a printer's helper. Franklin then received a loan and started his own printing business.
Shortly after starting his business, Franklin was noticed by the citizens of Philadelphia as a diligent young businessman. The government began contracting him for jobs.
In 1728, Benjamin had his first child, William. The mother is not known, but just two years later, in September 1730, he married Deborah Read after her husband fled to Barbados leaving debt and prosecution, allowing her to remarry.
In 1729, Franklin became the publisher of The Pennsylvania Gazette. The paper allowed Benjamin to express many of his ideals. Overtime, he cultivated an image of an intellectual young man and earned great social respect.
In October of 1732, Franklin and Deborah had their first child together, Francis Folger Franklin. However, the young boy died from smallpox in the fall of 1736. They later had a daughter, Sarah Franklin, in 1743 who went on to care for her father in his old age while having seven children of her own after marrying Richard Bache.
Franklin began to issue Poor Richard's Almanack in 1732 which gave him much of his popularity.
In 1732, Franklin helped find the Library Company and by 1741, it included many works on history, geography, poetry, exploration and science. The library's success encouraged the openings of libraries across American cities.
In 1736, Franklin created the Union Fire Company, the first volunteer firefighting company in America.
During Franklin's middle years, he became more interested in social affairs. Franklin became president at The Academy and College of Philadelphia, now known as the University of Philadelphia and began his work with electricity and other sciences.
In his later years, Franklin became increasingly active in the revolution. While in London, Franklin actively opposed the Stamp Act. He was also active in the Paxton affair and was a member of the Continental Congress and assisted in editing the Declaration of Independence.
After the Independence, Franklin was sent to France as a commissioner for the United States in December of 1776. He remained there until 1785, becoming one of the most popular men in French society and helping the negotiating of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
In 1787, Franklin agreed to attend, as a delegate, the meetings which would produce the United States Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation. Franklin is the only Founding father who has signed all three major documents of the United States: The Declaration of Independence, The Treaty of Paris and the United States Constitution. Franklin is also the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution, seventy and eighty-one years of age respectfully.
Benjamin Franklin died on April 17, 1790 at the age of eighty-four and was buried in the Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Upon his death, Franklin bequeathed £1000 (about $4400) each to Boston and Philadelphia in trust for 200 years.
Boston has since used the money (which was in 1990 over $5,000,000) to establish a trade school which became the Franklin Institute of Boston, and Philadelphia, which had over $2,000,000 from the funds, used theirs for scholarships for local high school students.
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