Biography

01/17/1706 - 04/17/1790

FRANKLIN, Benjamin, a Representative from Philadelphia City; born, January 17, 1706 in Boston, Suffolk County, Ma.; honorary doctorate of laws, St. Andrews University (Scotland), 1757; honorary doctorate of civil law, Oxford University, 1757; printer; owner, publisher and printer, Pennsylvania Gazette (1729-1750); printer and author, Poor Richard’s Almanack (1732-1758, annual); printer, minutes and laws of the Colonial General Assembly (1730-1736); founder, Library Company of Philadelphia (1732); organizer and member, Union Fire Company; appointed, Chief Clerk, Pennsylvania General Assembly (October 15, 1736-May 13, 1751); appointed, postmaster, Philadelphia (1737-1753); member, common council, Philadelphia (1748-1751); trustee, Academy of Philadelphia (1749-1756) and College of Philadelphia (1756-1790) (now University of Pennsylvania); justice of the peace, Philadelphia County (1749-1757, 1776); alderman, Philadelphia (1751-1776); elected, Pennsylvania Colonial Assembly (Special Election, May 11, 1751-1764; elected, but not present to serve, 1757-1762); elected, Speaker of the Assembly (1764); director, Philadelphia Contributionship for Insuring Houses against Losses by Fire (1752-1753); appointed, deputy postmaster-general, British North America (1753-1774); Provincial Commissioner (1755-1756); agent to Great Britain for: Pennsylvania (1757-1762, 1764-1775): Georgia (1768-1774): New Jersey (1769-1775): Massachusetts (1770-1775); commissioner for Indian affairs (1775); president, American Philosophical Society (1769-1776, 1780-1790); delegate, Second Continental Congress (1775-1777); member and president, Council of Safety (1775-1776); member, Committee of Observation and Inspection (1775-1776); appointed, United States Postmaster General (1775-1776); commissioner to Canada (1776); delegate, Provincial Convention (1776); delegate and president, Constitutional Convention (1776); commissioner to France (1776-1778); appointed, United States Minister to France (1778-1784); appointed, United States Minister to Sweden (1782-1783); elected, President of Pennsylvania (1785-1788); delegate, Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention (1787); died, April 17, 1790 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; interred, Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.