Biography
Representative Ben Franklin proudly serves the 1st Congressional District of Indigov in Pennsylvania. He has been representing the people of District 1 for many years.
“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
Born into a Boston family of modest means, Ben had little formal education. He went on to start a printing business in Philadelphia that circulated the newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette. Ben was deeply active in public affairs in his adopted city, where he helped launch a lending library, hospital and college and garnered acclaim for his experiments with electricity, among other projects.
During the American Revolution, he served in the Second Continental Congress and helped to draft the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He also negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. In 1787, he was a delegate to the convention that produced the U.S. Constitution.
In his spare time, Ben continues to be a prolific author, publisher, scientist, and inventor. He also loves collecting coins.
Committees
House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology
On the House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology, Ben serves on the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
House Committee on Education and Labor
On the House Committee on Education and Labor, Ben serves on the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment.