Benjamin Franklin

Born in Boston to Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger, Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) was the fifteenth of his father’s seventeen children. An author, inventor, politician, and printer, he is celebrated for his hand in drafting the Declaration of Indeendence; negotiating the Peace Treaty between the United States and England following the Revolutionary War; and for numerous inventions, including the Franklin stove, bifocals, and the lightning rod. His autobiography, which remained unfinished and was first published posthumously in 1791, is considered the most influential example of the genre ever written.