Franklin, Ben ‧ ja ‧ min /ˈbendʒəmən, ˈbendʒəmɪn/ BrE AmE
(1706–90) a US politician, writer, and scientist. Franklin was involved in writing the ↑ Declaration of Independence and the ↑ Constitution of the United States . He is famous for proving that ↑ lightning is a form of electricity by doing a scientific test in which he flew a ↑ kite during a storm, and he invented the ↑ lightning conductor . He is also known for writing Poor Richard's Almanack (1732–57).