Later years

On his return to America, he played an honorable part in the 
Paxton affair, through which he lost his seat in the Assembly, 
but in 1764 he was again dispatched to England as agent for 
the colony, this time to petition the King to resume the 
government from the hands of the proprietors. In London he 
actively opposed the proposed Stamp Act, but lost the credit 
for this and much of his popularity because he secured for a 
friend the office of stamp agent in America. This perceived 
conflict of interest, and the resulting outcry, is widely 
regarded as a deciding factor in Franklin's never achieving 
higher elected office. Even his effective work in helping to 
obtain the repeal of the act did not regain his popularity, but 
he continued his efforts to present the case for the Colonies as 
the troubles thickened toward the crisis of the Revolution. This 
also led to an irreconcilable conflict with his son, who 
remained ardently loyal to the British Government.


In 1767 he crossed to France, where he was received with honor; 
but before his return home in 1775 he lost his position as 
postmaster through his share in divulging to Massachusetts the 
famous letter of Hutchinson and Oliver. On his arrival in 
Philadelphia he was chosen as a member of the Continental Congress 
and assisted in editing the Declaration of Independence.

In December of 1776 he was dispatched to France as commissioner 
for the United States. He lived in a home in the Parisian suburb 
of Passy donated by Jacques-Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont who would 
become a friend and the most important foreigner to help the 
United States win the war of independence. Ben Franklin remained 
in France until 1785, a favorite of French society. Franklin was 
so popular that it became fashionable for wealthy French families 
to decorate their parlors with a painting of him. He conducted 
the affairs of his country towards that nation with such success, 
which included securing a critical military alliance and 
negotiating the Treaty of Paris (1783), that when he finally 
returned, he received a place only second to that of George 
Washington as the champion of American independence.

When Franklin was recalled to America in 1785, Le Ray honored 
him with a commissioned portrait painted by Joseph Siffred 
Duplessis that now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery of 
the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

In addition, after his return from France in 1785, he became a 
slavery abolitionist who eventually became president of The 
Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and the Relief 
of Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage.

While in retirement by 1787, he agreed to attend as a delegate 
at the meetings that would produce the United States 
Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation. He is 
the only Founding Father who is a signatory of all three of 
the major documents of the founding of the United States: The 
Declaration of Independence, The Treaty of Paris and the 
United States Constitution.

Also in 1787, a group of prominent ministers in Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania proposed the foundation of a new college to be 
named in Franklin's honor. Franklin donated £200 towards the 
development of Franklin College, which would later merge 
with Marshall College in 1853. It is now called Franklin 
and Marshall College.

Later, he finished his autobiography between 1771 and 1788, 
at first addressed to his son, then later completed for the 
benefit of mankind at the request of a friend.

It is little known that despite the fact that Benjamin 
Franklin was a prominent figure in the forming of the 
United States, that he was strongly opposed to the American 
Revolution and acted more as a diplomat than a patriot in 
the turmoil which eventually led to the Revolution. It was 
not until all peaceful means to maintain the continuation 
of the British rule over the colonies were exhausted, that 
he became a proponent of the independence movement. Even 
as late as 1780, Franklin was willing to allow British 
sovereignty in return for large degrees of home rule.


Death and afterwards

Benjamin Franklin died on April 17, 1790 and was interred 
in the Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania.

At his death Franklin bequeathed £1000 (about $4400 at 
the time) to each of the cities of Boston and Philadelphia, 
in trust for 200 years. During the lifetime of the trust, 
Philadelphia used it for a variety of loan programs to local 
residents; from 1940 to 1990, the money was used mostly for 
mortgage loans. When the trust came due, Philadelphia 
decided to spend it on scholarships for local high school 
students. Boston used the gift to establish a trade school 
that, over time, became the Franklin Institute of Boston.

In recent years a number of anti-Semitic groups have been 
promoting a fabricated quotation which has been debunked 
by historians: Neo-Nazi Theory (American founding fathers).

Franklin's likeness adorns the American $100 bill. As 
a result, $100 bills are sometimes referred to in slang 
as "Benjamins" or "Franklins". From 1948 to 1964, Franklin's 
portrait was also on the half dollar. He has also appeared 
on a $50 bill in the past, as well as several varieties of 
the $100 bill from 1914 and 1918, and every $100 bill from 
1928 to present. Franklin also appears on the $1,000 
Series EE Savings Bond.

In 1976, as part of a bicentennial celebration, Congress 
dedicated the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial in 
Franklin's hometown of Philadelphia, including a 20-foot 
high marble statue. Many of Franklin's personal possessions 
are also on display there. The memorial is located in 
Philadelphia's Franklin Institute. It is one of the few 
National Memorials located on private property.