Franklin, Benjamin From Encyclopedia of American Studies

Benjamin Franklin described himself, when he wrote his will, merely as a printer, ambassador to France, and resident of Pennsylvania. He was characteristically modest. He could have noted also that he had been famous as a scientist, an inventor, an author, a philanthropist, a statesman, and a draftsman of both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Born in Boston on January 17, 1706, Franklin moved to Philadelphia in 1723 and learned the printing trade as an apprentice. By 1729 he owned, edited, and published a newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette , which quickly became the leading newspaper in Philadelphia. He wrote and published, for nearly thirty years, Poor Richard: An Almanack , in which he offered many of the sayings that are still in use today. Franklin was extremely inquisitive about scientific matters. Although he had no formal education, he read voraciously and experimented continually. He designed a metal stove that was many times more efficient than a…