Oldest delegate at Constitutional Convention by 15 years
At the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Franklin was 81 years old — the oldest delegate by 15 years and twice the average age of attendees.
Snapshot · The Rest Is History
684. Franklin: Revenge of the American Genius (Part 2)
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Jul 1, 2026
Where this was said
Was Franklin Really American? His British Identity and Loyalist Years
At 11:43 · chapter starts 9:30
The hosts pose a genuinely interesting question: would Franklin have called himself an American? For much of his life, he would not. He spent a third of his life in Britain, living in London when he wrote the mastiff-lion parable — which was published in a London newspaper and intended not as a call for independence but as a warning from a loyal subject [1] — Tom Holland "Franklin spent a third of his life in Britain, attended George III's coronation, and called the king 'the most amiable of kings.' He was no…" 09:25 . He had served as Washington's de facto wagon master in the Seven Years' War without resentment toward Britain, admired the British system, and called George III the best of kings. This makes his eventual conversion to the revolutionary cause not a natural trajectory but a remarkable personal rupture, and Tom argues it mirrors the broader transformation of loyal British colonies into independent states.
1/3 of life spent in Britain
Franklin spent approximately a third of his life in Britain, living for 16 years between 1757 and 1775 in a house just off what is now Trafalgar Square in London.
Franklin's father Josiah emigrated to Boston in 1683
Franklin's father Josiah emigrated to Boston in 1683, becoming a tallow chandler — rendering animal fat into candles and soap — to support his family and practise his Puritan faith freely.
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