Benjamin Franklin: Biography and 12 Major Accomplishments
Major Social and Civic Achievements
Franklin always believed that the highest form of service that an individual could render in this world was being of service to his community and humanity in general. As a result of his high need for civic virtue, he spent the remaining half of his life setting up organizations and think-tanks to help advance this ambitions.
A library enthusiast
In 1731, Franklin played a key role in the establishment of the Library Company of Philadelphia. Until 1850, the library held the record of being the largest library in America.
Exploits in Population Science
Another stellar achievement of Benjamin Franklin came in the field of population science. He took extensive notes on the growth of population in America. He even predicted that America’s population was poised to exceed that of England’s in the near future. Also, he came out with several theories to explain the reason why America’s population growth was the fastest at that time. Some of his writings about population growth had strong influence on the British economists Adam Smith and Thomas Malthus.
The Union Fire Company and a Police Patrol
Franklin was also involved in setting up of Philadelphia’s first fire station. The Union Fire Company, as it was called, was America’s first volunteer fire fighting organization.
Franklin was very generous with the fortune amassed from the newspaper business. It was out of this fortune that he was able to establish and fund such pioneering civil and social organizations. For example, his 1727 think-tank organization, the Junto (also known as the “Leather Apron Club”), laid the foundation for the establishment of a paid community watch or police patrol in Philadelphia.
With ideals such as frugality and hard work, the Junto’s goal was to promote civic virtue and improve the lives of its members as well as the society in general.
Benjamin Franklin’s Think-tank – the Junto
As the Junto expanded and stretched into other American colonies, Benjamin Franklin thought it wise to establish the American Philosophical Society in 1743. The goal of the society was to serve as a hub for the discussion and sharing of scientific ideas and discoveries.
America’s First Hospital
In 1751, and with the help of Thomas Bond, Benjamin Franklin secured a charter from the Pennsylvania Parliament to set up the United States of America’s first hospital- the Pennsylvania Hospital. That same year, Benjamin served as the first president of the Academy of Philadelphia (currently known now as the University of Pennsylvania).
First Postmaster General
During his tenure (from 1753 to 1774) as deputy postmaster general of the colonies, he revolutionized the entire postal system in the American colonies. After a few skirmishes and condemnation of British rule in America, Franklin got dismissed in 1774.
A year after his dismissal, Benjamin got his job back. This time, his bosses were not the British rather the Continental Congress. Congress appointed him as the first postmaster general of the United States. He would go on to occupy that position from 1775 to 1776.
To mark his phenomenal work in the postal service, Benjamin Franklin’s picture was featured on the first postage stamps in July 1, 1847. As a matter of fact, after George Washington, Benjamin Franklin is the second most featured American on US postage stamps.
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