"Vacant"@en . . . . . . . . . . . "right"@en . . . . . . . "Benjamin Franklin Signature.svg"@en . . . . . . . . . "Offices and positions held by Benjamin Franklin"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Energy"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Benjamin Franklin2 1895 Issue-1c.jpg"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "1706-01-06"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . "1774-01-31"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "1783-04-03"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Franklin's birthplace on Milk Street in Boston"@en . . . . . . . . . . "y"@en . . . . . . . . . . "2010-09-28"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Music"@en . . . . . "center"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Sarah Franklin Bache1793.jpg"@en . . . "1776-11-07"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "39.9488"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "3986"^^ . . . . . . . "Benjamin Franklin Birthplace 2.JPG"@en . . . . . "56609913"^^ . . . . "Benjamin Franklin"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Author:Benjamin Franklin"@en . . . . . "y"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ""@en . "Physics"@en . . . . . . . . . . "--07-22"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "y"@en . . "The Index is also online"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "-75.1468"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "1790-04-17"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "center"@en . "yes"@en . . . . "American Literature/Enlightenment Period"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "May 1764"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "6"^^ . . . . . "1"^^ . . . . . "Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1706] \u2013 April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher. Among the leading intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, a drafter and signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and the first United States Postmaster General. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia's first fire "@en . . . . . "y"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . "(Printer, author, inventor, diplomat, philanthropist, statesman, and scientist. The eighteenth century's most illustrious Pennsylvanian built a house in Franklin Court starting in 1763, and here he lived the last five years of his life.)"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "39.94881 -75.14683" . . . . . . . . . . "Location"@en . . . . . . . "1052716695"^^ . . . . . "1730-09-01"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "City"@en . "right"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Technology"@en . . . . . . . "--04-12"^^ . . . "Deborah ReadFranklin.jpg"@en . . "1785-10-18"^^ . "Issue of 1918"@en . . . . . . "Category:Benjamin Franklin"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "1785-05-17"^^ . . . . . . . "Virtues/thirteen virtues"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Note"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Coat of arms of Benjamin Franklin"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "y"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "--06-04"^^ . . . . . "758"^^ . . . . . . "160"^^ . . . . . "--10-05"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Benjamin Franklin 2-Big-Bens 1918 Issue.jpg"@en . . . . "Literature"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "800"^^ . . . . . . . . "Science"@en . . . "1790-04-17"^^ . ""@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "October 1764"@en . . . . . . . . "Benjamin Franklin Signature.svg" . . . "--01-08"^^ . . "Benjamin Franklin"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "y"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "y"@en . "Benjamin Franklin"@en . . . "Articles related to Benjamin Franklin"@en . . . . . . . . . "y"@en . . . . . . . . "birthdate"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "died"@en . . . . . "Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S."@en . . . . . . . "Position established"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "100"^^ . . . . . . . . . . "Benjamin Franklin"@en . . . "1753-08-10"^^ . . . . . . "Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1706] \u2013 April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher. Among the leading intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, a drafter and signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and the first United States Postmaster General. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia's first fire department, and the University of Pennsylvania. Franklin earned the title of \"The First American\" for his early and indefatigable campaigning for colonial unity, initially as an author and spokesman in London for several colonies. As the first United States Ambassador to France, he exemplified the emerging American nation. Franklin was foundational in defining the American ethos as a marriage of the practical values of thrift, hard work, education, community spirit, self-governing institutions, and opposition to authoritarianism both political and religious, with the scientific and tolerant values of the Enlightenment. In the words of historian Henry Steele Commager, \"In Franklin could be merged the virtues of Puritanism without its defects, the illumination of the Enlightenment without its heat.\" To Walter Isaacson, this makes Franklin \"the most accomplished American of his age and the most influential in inventing the type of society America would become.\" Franklin became a successful newspaper editor and printer in Philadelphia, the leading city in the colonies, publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette at age 23. He became wealthy publishing this and Poor Richard's Almanack, which he authored under the pseudonym \"Richard Saunders\". After 1767, he was associated with the Pennsylvania Chronicle, a newspaper that was known for its revolutionary sentiments and criticisms of the policies of the British Parliament and the Crown. He pioneered and was the first president of Academy and College of Philadelphia which opened in 1751 and later became the University of Pennsylvania. He organized and was the first secretary of the American Philosophical Society and was elected president in 1769. Franklin became a national hero in America as an agent for several colonies when he spearheaded an effort in London to have the Parliament of Great Britain repeal the unpopular Stamp Act. An accomplished diplomat, he was widely admired among the French as American minister to Paris and was a major figure in the development of positive Franco\u2013American relations. His efforts proved vital for the American Revolution in securing shipments of crucial munitions from France. He was promoted to deputy postmaster-general for the British colonies on August 10, 1753, having been Philadelphia postmaster for many years, and this enabled him to set up the first national communications network. He was active in community affairs and colonial and state politics, as well as national and international affairs. From 1785 to 1788, he served as governor of Pennsylvania. He initially owned and dealt in slaves but by the late 1750s, he began arguing against slavery, became an abolitionist, and promoted education and the integration of blacks into U.S. society. His life and legacy of scientific and political achievement, and his status as one of America's most influential Founding Fathers, have seen Franklin honored more than two centuries after his death on the fifty-cent piece, the $100 bill, warships, and the names of many towns, counties, educational institutions, and corporations, as well as numerous cultural references and with a portrait in the Oval Office."@en . . . . . . . "Benjamin Franklin by Joseph Duplessis, 1778"@en . . . . . . . . . . . "1788-11-05"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . "1990-06-30"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Chestnut St. between 3rd & 4th Sts., at Nat'l. Liberty Mus., Philadelphia"@en . . . . . "Franklin,+Benjamin"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "--01-17"^^ . . . . . . "Issue of 1861"@en . . . . . . "1779-03-23"^^ . . . . . . . . "--11-12"^^ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Franklin's birthplace site directly across from the Old South Meeting House is commemorated by a bust atop the second-floor fa\u00E7ade of this building."@en . . . . "History of science"@en . . . . . . "United States"@en . . . . . . . . ". Common-law wife of Benjamin Franklin"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Issue of 1895"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Q34969"@en . . . . . . . . . "1775-07-26"^^ . "1782-09-28"^^ . . . . . . "vertical"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Benjamin Franklin Birthplace.jpg"@en . . . . . . "Marker Text"@en . "yes"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Franklin"@en . . "1774"^^ . . . . . . . . "Pennsylvania"@en . . . . . . . . . "--05-19"^^ . . . . . . . "Benjamin Franklin"@en . . . . . . . "Benjamin Franklin 1861 Issue-1c.jpg"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Government & Politics, Government & Politics 18th Century, Invention, Science & Medicine, Professions & Vocations, Publishing & Journalism, Writers"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Sarah Franklin Bache . Daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Deborah Read"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . "195641"^^ . . . . "Philosophy"@en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .