Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790 " Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. " - Benjamin Franklin. A Bostonian by birth, Franklin became a prominent printer, philanthropist and scientist in Philadelphia. Known throughout the colonies for his publication ' Poor Richard's Almanac ' which was second in populrity in Colonial America to the Bible. Statesman, American patriot, member of the Continental Congress he was the oldest man to sign the Declaration of Independence which he had helped draft. Franklin's diplomatic acumen and personality was essential in securing France's assistance to the American Revolution. At the end of the war he was the chief negotitor of the Treaty of Paris which brought the conflict to a close. Towards the end of his life he was involved with the anti-slavery movement being the first president of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. Franklin passed at the age of 84 in 1790.