Benjamin Franklin was never president… and I thought only presidents were printed on US currency.
Well, I was wrong.
Neither Benjamin Franklin nor Alexander Hamilton ($10) were ever president.
So why was Benjamin Franklin chosen to represent the $100 bill aka the “Benjamin”
http://www.moneyfactory.gov/small100denom.html
the fun facts section left a bit to be desired…
Did you know Benjamin Franklin’s maternal grandfather was a descendant of JA Folger’s, founder of Folger’s Coffee??? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin
And it is here that I end my search… Based on the wiki article, I will assume B.F. was chosen to appear on US Currency because he is one of the Founding Fathers of the US…
“A signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, Franklin is considered one of the Founding Fathers of the U.S. His pervasive influence in the early history of the United States has led to his being jocularly called "the only President of the United States who was never President of the United States."[110] Franklin's likeness is ubiquitous. Since 1928, it has adorned American $100 bills, which are sometimes referred to in slang as "Benjamins" or "Franklins." From 1948 to 1964, Franklin's portrait was on the half dollar. He has appeared on a $50 bill and on several varieties of the $100 bill from 1914 and 1918. Franklin appears on the $1,000 Series EE Savings bond.”
If you find a documented reason, please let me know!
No comments:
Post a Comment