Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was a printer, publisher, scientist, inventor, and statesman whose work helped shape both Philadelphia civic life and the early United States. He published the Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard’s Almanack, pursued influential experiments in electricity, and helped establish institutions including a library, a hospital, and the school that became the University of Pennsylvania. During the American Revolution, Franklin served as a diplomat in France, securing vital support for the American cause and helping negotiate the peace settlement with Great Britain.