Benjamin Franklin, the great and thoroughly original American, died on this day. He was an exceptional mental and moral leader. He signed the Declaration of Independence, and was a leading scientist, entrepreneur and diplomat. Honestly, everything I write feels like understatement, but here are a few aspects of this great American to share with friends….

My favorite story is how Franklin got his start as a writer; he tricked his brother into letting him write for his brother’s newspaper, submitting his articles under the name Silence Dogood, which became widely popular throughout town. He fell out with his brother and fled to Philadelphia – a fugitive because he had breeched his apprenticeship. 

Franklin thrived in Philadelphia, spending time as well in London, as part of the printing and publishing business, and starting his own newspaper in 1728, the Philadelphia Gazette. 

He had a relentless imagination and plenty of energy. As a scientist and entrepreneur, Franklin invented the lightning rod, bifocals, a flexible urinary catheter(!) and the Franklin stove.

Franklin founded or helped start the University of Pennsylvania, the American Philosophical Society, and Philadelphia’s first fire department. 

Franklin was undoubtedly the most famous American revolutionary during the War, both for his achievements and because he lived a good portion of his life in London. His son, William, in fact, stayed loyal to the crown. 

Franklin contributed slightly to the Declaration of Independence, and, at the signing, famously said, “Yes, we must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

Franklin’s greatest contribution to the Revolution was as ambassador to France from 1776 to 1785, where he was a great celebrity at the French court. 

After the Revolution, Franklin became an ardent abolitionist. 

Franklin was intellectually curious and courageous and a fierce proponent of the freedom of speech. One of his favorite quotes was from Cato: ”Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech”