The Compleated Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (1757-1790)
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I also received a letter from.... BF to Sir William Herschel, May 18, 1787; BF to Thomas Jordan, May 18, 1787.
Not having found the cares.... BF to Rodolphe-Ferdinand Grand, Apr. 22, 1787; BF to Charles-Henri, Comte d’Estaing, Apr. 15, 1787; BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Apr. 15, 1787.
I also received a letter from.... BF to William Cocke, Aug. 12, 1786.
In the state of Pennsylvania.... BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Apr. 15, 1787; BF to James Bowdoin, Mar. 6, 1787; Proclamation of Benjamin Franklin and the Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council, Mar. 10, 1787.
The rest of the states.... BF to the Marquis de Chastellux, Apr. 17, 1787; BF to the Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Apr. 15, 1787; BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Apr. 15, 1787; BF to George Whatley, May 18, 1787.
When there is a free government ... BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Feb. 17, 1788.
There seemed to be little.... BF to the Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Apr. 15, 1787; BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Apr. 15, 1787; BF to Lafayette, Apr. 17, 1787; BF to Marquis de Chastellux, Apr. 17, 1787; BF to the Abbes Chalut and Arnoux, Apr. 17, 1787.
Many of the delegates arrived.... BF to Thomas Jordan, May 18, 1787; BF to Sir Edward Newenham, May 24, 1787; BF to Sir Edward Newenham, May 24, 1787.
I attended faithfully.... BF to Jane Mecom, Sep. 20, 1787; BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Feb. 17, 1788.
I expressed with reluctance.... Besides these evils.... It may be imagined.... Franklin’s Convention Speech on Salaries, June 2, 1787.
In the debates, I also opposed.... Benjamin Franklin: Queries and Remarks on “Hints for the Members of the Pennsylvania Convention,” Nov. 3, 1789.
The important ends of civil government.... Benjamin Franklin: Queries and Remarks on “Hints for the Members of the Pennsylvania Convention,” Nov. 3, 1789.
During the warm debates.... It gave me great pleasure.... Franklin Convention Speech on Proportionate Representation, 1787; Franklin Convention Speech Proposing Prayers, June 28, 1787.
In this situation..... And now, I asked.... Unfortunately, the convention... Franklin Convention Speech Proposing Prayers, June 28, 1787.
We continued the debate.... Robert Yates, “The Notes of the Secret Debates of the Federal Convention of 1787,” in Jonathan Elliot, ed., Debates on the Federal Constitution (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1863), vol. 1, 470-71.
The convention finish’d.... I confess that I do not.... In these sentiments ... Thus I consent, Sir.... On the whole, Sir... Franklin’s Speech in the Convention on the Constitution, Sep. 17, 1787.
The motion was made.... James Madison, Records of the Convention (New York: Oxford University Press, 1920), 2:648.
The new federal Constitution.... BF to Jane Mecom, Sep. 20, 1787; BF to Alexander Small, Sep. 28, 1787.
11. MY FINAL YEARS, 1787–
It is a singular thing.... BF to Count Castiglione, Oct. 14, 1787; BF to Duc de la Rochefoucauld, Oct. 14, 1787; BF to Rodolphe-Ferdinand Grand, Oct. 22, 1787.
The propos’d Constitution.... BF to Charles Vaughan, Feb. 12, 1788; BF to Comtesse d’Houdetot, 1788; BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Feb. 17, 1788; BF to Comtesse d’Houdetot, 1788; BF to the Editor of the Federal Gazette, 1788.
But we must not expect.... BF to Pierre-Samuel du Pont de Nemours, June 9, 1788; BF to the Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Oct. 24, 1788; BF to Comtesse d’Houdetot, 1788; BF to the Editor of the Federal Gazette, 1788.
I received news of a war.... BF to John Sevier, Dec. 16, 1787.
I heard from Dr. Ingenhousz.... BF to Jan Ingenhousz, Feb. 11, 1788.
I corresponded with.... BF to Benjamin Vaughan, Oct. 24, 1788.
As it is customary in Europe.... BF to Charles Thomson, Dec. 29, 1788; BF to Charles Thomson, Dec. 29, 1788.
When I took my grandson.... BF to Charles Thomson, Dec. 29, 1788.
But I would never have made.... BF to Charles Thomson, Dec. 29, 1788.
When I was sent to France... BF to Charles Thomson, Dec. 29, 1788.
On my arrival in Philadelphia.... BF to the president of Congress, Nov. 29, 1788; PBF 46:156, Franklin sketch of services to U.S., Dec. 29, 1788.
My heavy expense.... BF to Francis Childs, Apr. 27, 1789.
As I grow older, I find ... BF to the Comptesse de’Houdetot, 1788; BF to Jane Mecom, Nov. 4, 1787; BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Feb. 17, 1788; BF to M. Le Roy, Feb. 17, 1788.
My malady the stone.... BF to Rev. Colin, Dec. 16, 1788; BF to Jane Collas, Apr. 12, 1788; BF to John Lathrop, May 31, 1788; BF to Eleonore-Francois-Elie, Comte de Moustier, Feb. 10, 1788; BF to Jane Mecom, Apr. 12, 1788.
I live in a house which.... BF to Madame Brillon, Apr. 19, 1788; BF to Jan Ingelhousz, May 24, 1788; BF to Rodolphe-Ferdinand Grand, June 7, 1788; BF to William Caslon, 1788; BF to John Sevier, Dec. 16, 1787; BF to John Anderson, Aug. 18, 1788.
I have no philosophical news.... BF to M. Le Roy, Feb. 17, 1788; BF to John Lathrop, May 31, 1788.
My gout at length left me.... BF to the editor of the Pennsylvania Gazette, Mar. 30, 1788; BF to Jane Mecom, Nov. 26, 1788; BF to Ezra Stiles, Mar. 9, 1790.
On the other hand, some of our papers.... BF to the editor of the Pennsylvania Gazette, Mar. 30, 1788; BF to Jane Mecom, Nov. 26, 1788.
I heard a remark.... BF to Hall & Sellers, Mar. 30, 1788; BF to the editor of the Pennsylvania Gazette, Mar. 30, 1788.
There is indeed a good deal ... BF to the editor of the Pennsylvania Gazette, Mar. 30, 1788.
There is however one inconsistency... BF to the editor of the Pennsylvania Gazette, Mar. 30, 1788.
It is true that I enjoy here.... BF to Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze Lavoisier, Oct. 23, 1788; BF to the Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Oct. 24, 1788.
There is one thing wanting... BF to Pierre-Samuel du Pont de Nemours, June 9, 1788.
The accounts I have heard... BF to Comtesse d’Houdetot, 1788; BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Oct. 24, 1788.
The convulsions in France.... BF to David Hartley, Dec. 4, 1789; BF to Benjamin Vaughan, Nov. 2, 1789, in Franklin’s Autobiography Writings (Viking, 1938), ed. Carl Van Doren, 775.
Our grand machine.... BF to Benjamin Vaughan, Oct. 24, 1788; BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Oct. 24, 1788.
At last the first Congress met.... BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Dec. 10, 1788; BF to the Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Oct. 24, 1788; BF to Thomas Jefferson, Oct. 24, 1788; BF to Charles Carroll, May 25, 1789; BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Sep. 5, 1789; BF to Benjamin Vaughan, Nov. 2, 1789, in Franklin’s Autobiography Writings (Viking, 1938), ed. by Carl Van Doren, 776; BF to John Sevier, Dec. 16, 1787; BF to Eleonore-Francois-Elie, Comte de Moustier, Feb. 10, 1788.
My friend Le Veillard was.... BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Oct. 24, 1788.
And thus, our new constitution... Thomas Fleming, ed., Benjamin Franklin, A Biography in his Own Words (New York: Harper & Row, 1972), 403.
Having now finish’d my term.... BF to Abbe Andre Morellet, Dec. 10, 1788; BF to the Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Oct. 24, 1788; BF to Elizabeth Partridge, Nov. 25, 1788; PBF 46:u137, BF to Elizabeth Partridge, Nov. 25, 1788; BF to Jane Mecom, Nov. 30, 1789.
I hope to enjoy.... BF to the Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Oct. 24, 1788; BF to Elizabeth Partridge, Nov. 25, 1788; BF to Abbe Andre Morellet, Dec. 10, 1788; BF to the Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Dec. 10, 1788.
I have a long time.... BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, Sep. 5, 1789; letter to Sir Edward Newenham, Nov. 5, 1789.
In the final years of my life.... BF to Pierre-Samuel du Pont de Nemours, May 27, 1788; BF to Lafayette and Dupont, 1788; BF to Lafayette and Dupont, 1788.
I found by an old pamphlet.... BF to John Wright, Nov. 4, 1789.
This present age has been distinguished.... BF to Lafayette and Dupont, 1788; BF to John Bondfield, June 7, 1788; BF to Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard, June 8, 1788.
Tho’ the people of Massachusetts.... BF to Richard Price, Oct. 9, 1780.
I thought the clause in.... BF to John Calder, Aug.
21, 1784.
The Rev. Dr. Ezra Stiles desired.... BF to Ezra Stiles, Mar. 9, 1790.
Nevertheless, here is my creed... BF to Ezra Stiles, Mar. 9, 1790; BF to Elizabeth Partridge, Nov. 25, 1788.
My sentiments in this regard.... I received your kind letter.... As to kindness ... For my own part.... You will see in this ... Doubtlessly... Jesus tho’t much less.... BF to Joseph Huey, June 6, 1753.
I like the concluding sentiment.... I have sung that.... BF to George Whatley, May 23, 1785.
When I was only 23 years of age, I wrote.... In 1784, in my 78th year, I wrote.... BF to Ezra Stiles; Franklin’s epitaph and adieu, Apr. 22, 1784.
Thinking of old age.... BF to Elizabeth Partridge, Nov. 25, 1788.
I condole with you.... Our friend, and we.... PBF 6:406-07, BF to Elizabeth Hubbart, Feb. 22, 1756.
The years roll round.... PBF 3:475, BF to Abiah Franklin, Apr. 12, 1750.
I still have enjoyment in the company.... BF to Jonathan Shipley, Feb. 24, 1786.
Important Dates
1706, Jan. 17 Born in Boston, Massachusetts (Jan. 6, 1705, old style)
1718-1723 Apprenticed as a printer to his brother James Franklin
1723 Runs away to Philadelphia and begins working for printer Samuel Keimer
1725-1726 Journeyman printer in London, England
1727 Founds the Junto in Philadelphia
1729 Purchases Pennsylvania Gazette
1730 Marries Deborah Read Rogers (died 1774)
1731 William Franklin probably born; establishes the Library Company of Philadelphia, Pa.
1732 Son Francis born; first Poor Richard’s Almanac published (last one published in 1758)
1736 Francis dies; appointed clerk of the Pennsylvania Assembly (until 1751)
1737 Postmaster of Philadelphia (until 1753)
1740 Invents the Pennsylvania fireplace (Franklin stove)
1743 Daughter Sally born; proposes formation of the American Philosophical Society
1747 First electrical experiments
1748 Establishes printing partnership with David Hall (until 1767)
1751 Founds with others the Academy for Education of Youth (now University of Pennsylvania); founds Philadelphia City Hospital. His Experiments and Observations on Electricity published in London.
1751 Representative at the Pennsylvania Assembly (until 1764)
1752 Fire insurance company formed, with Franklin as president
1754 Proposes the Albany Plan to unite the colonies
1757 Sails to England as colonial agent of the Pennsylvania Assembly
1759 Receives honorary degree from the University of St. Andrews (thereafter referred to as “Dr. Franklin”)
1762 Receives honorary degree from Oxford University; returns to Pennsylvania
1763-64 Paxton Boys attack Indians
1764 Sails to England for second mission as colonial agent
1765 Opposes the Stamp Act
1766 Stamp Act repealed
1769 Elected president of American Philosophical Society
1771 Begins autobiography
1773 Boston Tea Party, December 16
1774 Censored by the Privy Council for the Hutchinson Letters scandal; dismissed as deputy postmaster general; Boston port closes; wife Deborah dies
1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord in April; returns to America; elected member of the Second Continental Congress; named postmaster general; submits Articles of Confederation for United Colonies
1776 Mission to Canada in spring; serves on committee to draft the Declaration of Independence; signs the Declaration of Independence; elected delegate to Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention; goes to France as one of three American commissioners to negotiate a treaty
1777 In December, receives news of British General Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga
1778 Negotiates treaties of financial and military aid from France; appointed sole plenipotentiary in France
1781 In November receives news of surrender of British General Cornwallis at Yorktown on October 19; appointed with John Jay, John Adams and others to negotiate a peace with Great Britain
1783 Signs Treaty of Paris with Great Britain
1785 Replaced by Thomas Jefferson as ambassador to France; returns to the United States
1785 Elected president, Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania (through 1788)
1787 Represents Pennsylvania at the Constitutional Convention
1790 In February, signs his last public document as president of the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery
1790, Apr. 17 Dies and is buried next to his wife in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cast of Characters
John Adams (1735-1826), lawyer and Massachusetts delegate to Congress who later joined Franklin as a joint commissioner in France; became the second president of the United States.
Conde de Aranda: Pedro Pablo Abarco de Bolea Aranda (1718-83), Spanish ambassador to France who had little influence with the Spanish court.
Benedict Arnold (1741-1801), general in the Continental Army who defected to the British side in 1780.
Benjamin Franklin Bache (1769-98), known as Benny; son of Richard and Sally Franklin Bache; accompanied his grandfather to France in 1776; returned in 1785 to become publisher of the Aurora.
Richard Bache (1737-1811), English merchant who, after marrying Franklin’s daughter Sally, became Postmaster General of the United States in 1776-82. The Baches had eight children.
Sally Franklin Bache (1769-98), Franklin’s only daughter, who married Richard Bache in 1767.
Edward Bancroft (1745-1821), unofficial secretary to Franklin and the American commission to France, 1776-83, and an American-born British spy.
David Barkley, Jr. (1729-1809), London merchant who, with his brother John, established Barclay’s Bank.
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732-99), French playwright famous for “The Marriage of Figaro” (1775) who became an arms dealer in the American cause.
Matthew Boulton (1728-1809), English engineer whose Birmingham factory manufactured the revolutionary steam engines of partner James Watt (1736-1819).
Anne-Louise Brillon de Jouy (1744-1824), wife of Jacque Brillon, was Franklin’s friendly neighbor in Passy, a pianist and composer.
Comte de Buffon (1707-88), Georges-Louis Leclerc, French naturalist and director of the Jardin du Roi.
John Burgoyne (1723-92), member of Parliament and a British general in the American Revolution.
Edmund Burke (1729-97), member of Parliament friendly to the American cause, but later critical of the French Revolution.
Mather Byles (1707-88), Boston preacher and grandson of Increase Mather.
William Carmichael (?-1795), member of Congress, 1778-79; accompanied John Jay to Spain in 1780, where he served as secretary.
Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737-1832), signer of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Senator from Maryland.
Lord Chatham: William Pitt the Elder (1708-78), First Earl of Chatham, a Whig statesman, war minister during the Seven Year War against France, and later prime minister; father of William Pitt the Younger (1759-1806), who also became prime minister.
Samuel Chase (1741-1811), Maryland delegate to Congress and U.S. Supreme Court justice.
Jacques-Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont (1725-1803), merchant who purchased the Hotel de Valentinois in Passy, which served as the American embassy in France and Franklin’s headquarters. Chaumont was the first to offer military aid to the Americans, but eventually went bankrupt.
King Christian VII (1749-1808), king of Demark and Norway.
Peter Collinson (1694-1768), London Quaker merchant and botanist who was responsible for the first publication of Franklin’s Experiments and Observations on Electricity (1751).
Marquis de Condorcet: Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas Caritat (1743-94), French mathematician and economist; poisoned in the French revolution.
Rev. Samuel Cooper (1725-83), Bos
ton politician and clergyman.
Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805), member of Parliament and British Major General in the American Revolution, 1775-81; after the defeat at Yorktown, he returned to England and later became commander in chief in India.
Thomas Cushing (1725-88), Speaker of the House in Massachusetts (1766-74) and recipient of the Hutchinson letters.
Silas Deane (1737-89), lawyer, merchant, and delegate to Congress; commissioner with Franklin in France, 1776, but recalled by Congress in 1778 for alleged embezzlement; ultimately vindicated.
John Dickinson (1732-1808), Philadelphia politician and author of Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer, which Franklin helped publish in 1768.
Denis Diderot (1713-84), French philosopher and editor of the popular Encyclopedie (35 volumes were published between 1751 and 1780).
Pierre-Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817), French physiocrat, politician and founder of Du Pont de Nemours in the United States.
Lord William Dartmouth (1731-1801), named William Legge, Earl of Dartmouth, Secretary of State for the American Colonies in 1772-74.
Comte d’Estaing: Charles-Henri d’Estaing (1729-1794), Franklin’s neighbor and French admiral who fought in the American Revolution.
Alleyne Fitz-Herbert (1753-1839), British peace negotiator sent by Lord Shelburne to Paris.
Dr. John Fothergill (1712-80), Quaker physician in London.
Charles James Fox (1749-1806), secretary of state for foreign affairs in 1782-83 and British statesman favorable to the American cause.
Abiah Folger Franklin (1667-1752), wife of Josiah Franklin and mother of ten children, including Benjamin.
Deborah Read Franklin (1705?-1774), Franklin’s wife, and mother of two children, Francis and Sarah (Sally).
Francis Folger Franklin (1732-36), second son of Franklin, died at age 4 of smallpox.
John Franklin (1690-1756), Benjamin’s favorite brother; soap maker and postmaster of Boston.
Josiah Franklin (1657-1745), Benjamin’s father, who moved to Boston in 1683. He had seventeen children, seven from his first wife Ann Child, and ten by his second, Abiah Folger.