Widely considered an ethical character
Franklin coined the term “doing well by doing good.” It’s in vogue again today, as unfettered capitalism creates enormous wealth/power disparities, and the predictable suffering that accompanies such times.
Here is Franklin’s public service timeline:
- 1727: Founds the Junto, a debating club for men to discuss moral, political, and scientific topics.
- 1729: Purchases The Pennsylvania Gazette, making it one of the best colonial newspapers.
- 1731: Organizes the Library Company of Philadelphia, the first public lending library in America.
- 1732: Begins publishing Poor Richard’s Almanack.
- 1736: Becomes Clerk of the Pennsylvania Assembly, a position he holds until 1751.
- 1737: Appointed Postmaster of Philadelphia.
- 1740: Invents the Franklin stove.
- 1743: Founds the American Philosophical Society to promote scientific inquiry and communication across the colonies.
- 1748: Retires from his printing business to focus more on science and public service.
- 1751: Helps found the Academy for Education of Youth (now the University of Pennsylvania) and the Philadelphia City Hospital.
- 1752: Conducts his famous kite experiment to prove that lightning is electrical.
- 1753: Appointed joint Deputy Postmaster General of North America.
- 1754: Represents Pennsylvania at the Albany Congress.
- 1757: Travels to London as a colonial agent for Pennsylvania.
- 1765: Opposes the Stamp Act.
- 1771: Begins writing his autobiography.
- 1775: Elected to the Second Continental Congress and proposes the Articles of Confederation.
- 1776: Serves on the committee that drafts the Declaration of Independence and signs the final document.
- 1776–1778: Serves as a commissioner to France to secure support for the American cause.
- 1778: Negotiates and signs the Treaty of Alliance with France, a pivotal moment that brings France into the war on the side of the Americans.
- 1783: Signs the Treaty of Paris, officially ending the Revolutionary War.
- 1785–1788: Serves as Governor of Pennsylvania.
- 1787: Signs the U.S. Constitution at the Constitutional Convention.
- 1790: Dies in Philadelphia at age 84