Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Benjamin Franklin's background is described as English colonial; a Puritan tradesman's family. Growing up, the family was working class — his candlemaker father could afford two years of schooling before apprenticing him, at 12, to an older brother's print shop. The fifteenth of a candlemaker's seventeen children; arrived in Philadelphia with three bread rolls.

Born

1706 · Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Roots

English colonial; a Puritan tradesman's family

Family

Working class

His candlemaker father could afford two years of schooling before apprenticing him, at 12, to an older brother's print shop.

Education

Two years of school; the print shop and borrowed books did the rest

Started with

Three bread rolls

By his autobiography's telling, his purchases on arriving in Philadelphia at 17, having fled his brother's apprenticeship.

Affiliations & societies

FreemasonryDocumented

Joined St. John's Lodge in 1731 and rose to Grand Master of Pennsylvania.

The JuntoDocumented

The mutual-improvement club he founded at 21; it seeded America's first lending library.

Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.

The pathway

1. 1723 · age 17
   Runs away to Philadelphia

   Breaks the apprenticeship to his brother; works as a journeyman printer.

2. 1729 · age 23
   The Pennsylvania Gazette

   His press, his paper; Poor Richard's Almanack follows and makes him wealthy.

3. 1748 · age 42
   Retires from business

   Rich enough at 42 to turn to science full-time.

4. 1752 · age 46
   The kite experiment

   Lightning as electricity; the lightning rod follows, unpatented on principle.

5. 1776 · age 70
   Independence

   Edits Jefferson's draft, then charms France into the alliance that wins the war.

6. 1787 · age 81
   The Constitution

   The only person to sign all four founding documents; dies with 20,000 at the funeral.