Franklin The Networker

One thing that was apparent throughout the book was that Franklin was a networker. From his boyhood, teen years, and then adulthood he was constantly organizing clubs, societies and associations. Some of them were for the betterment of a small circle of friends such as informal reading groups or a prototype Chambers of Commerce for young tradesmen in Philadelphia. Some of them were far more ambitious, such as the formation of militias, fire companies, or the school that grew into the University of Pennsylvania. Topping it all off, of course, was his work in the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. If Franklin was still around today, he would probably be active in something like Ryze.

Franklin the Scientist

Everyone has heard about flying the kite in a thunderstorm, but Franklin had a far more important role in developing the theory of electricity. Through his experiments and observations about electricity, he was the person who coined the phrases positive and negative to explain electrical charge. In fact, he was the first to use "charge" in terms of electricity, too, along with the words battery, neutral, condense, and conductor. He also invented the lightening rod. He was a practical scientist, not a theoretical one, without a math or physics background that would be needed to develop systematic theories. At that time, the frontiers of science were nearby and a talented layman like Franklin could make a mark.

Franklin the Ladies Man

His son William (who became the Loyalist governor of New Jersey and was later permanently estranged from Franklin) was illegitimate, although after Franklin's later marriage to his wife Deborah he was raised by both. That marriage seemed to be more of convenience rather than any great passionate love affair. Franklin enjoyed the company of lively young women, and often exchanged a series of flirtatious letters with them. (Since phones hadn't been invented yet, you may want to think of this as "letter sex".) Isaacson's conclusion is that while he may have been a flirt, he never went all the way in these relationships, although he did manage to scandalize the more prudish John Adams.

Franklin the Statesman

This may be the most familiar part of the story for most people. Franklin was one of only a handful to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. His work as our minister to France was crucial in cementing French help in the Revolutionary War. Earlier, he had been colonial agent in London for a number of the colonies and worked hard at trying to better relations between America and the mother country.

If you enjoy straightforward history and biography, I recommend this book. It will fill in the gaps in Franklin's life between the well-known fragments that you already know, plus give another look at the critical years in the founding of the United States.