Benjamin Franklin

Franklin was born in Boston in 1706, the son of a chandler and the
youngest of 17 children. His formal education lasted up until the age of
10. From age 12 to 17 he was an apprentice printer to his brother—
who produced one of America's first newspapers—before settling in
Philadelphia. Eventually he set up his own printing shop, and by his
late 20s was publishing the highly successful Poor Richard's
Almanacks, a mix of practical information with aphorisms, many of
which are still in use. By age 42 he was wealthy enough to retire but
pursued civic projects and experiments with electricity, inventing the
lightning rod.
Franklin's party leadership in the Pennsylvania Assembly led to
involvement in negotiations between Britain and colonial America, and
he served on a committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence.
Made American ambassador to France at age 69, during a decade in
that post he negotiated France's assistance for the US and a peace
accord with Britain. He was selected as a delegate to the Constitutional
Convention of 1787.
When he died in 1790, Franklin was arguably the most famous
American in the world. The Autobiography was then published, but
covered his life only up to 1758. It had been written in fits between
1771 and 1790 while he was living in France.
Franklin has been called America's first entrepreneur. Apart from his
other successes, he charted the Gulf Stream, designed a domestic heater,
created a public library, originated a city fire department, and served on
a French committee looking into hypnotism.