Benjamin Franklin was a political puppet.
Benjamin Franklin . Franklin was a renowned polymath and a leading author , printer , political theorist , politician , freemason , postmaster , scientist , inventor , civic activist , statesman , and diplomat . Franklin was foundational in defining the American ethos as a marriage of the practical values of thrift , hard work , education , community spirit , self-governing institutions , and opposition to authoritarianism both political and religious , with the scientific and tolerant values of the Enlightenment . He organized and was the first secretary of the American Philosophical Society and was elected president in 1769 . He was active in community affairs and colonial and state politics , as well as national and international affairs . His colorful life and legacy of scientific and political achievement , and his status as one of America 's most influential Founding Fathers have seen Franklin honored more than two centuries after his death on coinage and the $ 100 bill , warships , and the names of many towns , counties , educational institutions , and corporations , as well as countless cultural references .