Franklin, Benjamin (1706-1790)

US scientist, statesman, writer, printer, and publisher. He proved that lightning is a form of electricity, distinguished between positive and negative electricity, and invented the lightning conductor. He was the first US ambassador to France 1776-85, and negotiated peace with Britain 1783. As a delegate to the Continental Congress from Pennsylvania 1785-88, he helped to draft the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. A printer, Franklin wrote and published the popular Poor Richard's Almanac 1733-58, as well as engaging in scientific experiment and making useful inventions, including bifocal spectacles. A member of the Pennsylvania Assembly 1751-64, he was sent to Britain to lobby Parliament about tax grievances and achieved the repeal of the Stamp Act (the collecting of taxes to pay for defence); on his return to the USA he was prominent in the deliberations leading up to independence. As ambassador in Paris he enlisted French help for the American Revolution. After independence he became president of Pennsylvania and worked hard to abolish slavery. Franklin was born in Boston and self-educated. He became one of the most widely travelled of the leaders of the American colonies, bringing an internationalist perspective to the Constitutional Convention. He organized an effective postal system; taught himself Spanish, French, Italian, and Latin; and mapped the Gulf Stream. By flying a kite in a thunderstorm, he was able to charge up a condenser and produce sparks. He recognized the aurora borealis as an electrical phenomenon, and speculated on the existence of the ionosphere. His autobiography first appeared 1781 (in complete form, 1868).