Benjamin Franklin: Life and Demographics
Born: January 17, 1706 
Raised: by his father Josiah and Abiah Folger Franklin, his father’s second wife. Benjamin was one of seventeen children, and the youngest of ten sons. Franklin's father was a political leader, congregational leader, and a constable.
Interesting Facts:
- Franklin's childhood home was a gathering place for his father's fellow republican meetings, which proved influential in young Franklin's education.
- Instead of becoming an apprenticed tradesman like his brothers, Franklin was enrolled in Latin School at the age of 8 because he demonstrated high scholarly potential.
- As a teenager, Franklin worked as an undercover agent for the republican Cotton Mather, against the Boston branch of the Hell-Fire Club.
- Franklin's later writings such as Poor Richard's Almanack demonstrate the intellectual influence of Jonathan Swift
Died: 1790