This annual event celebrates the life and legacy of Benjamin Franklin. This year’s theme is The Role of the Military in a Democracy.
THE LUNCHEON (Registration Required)
Our luncheon includes a presentation by the 2026 Franklin Founder Honoree Gen H. R. McMaster, a proud Philadelphian, a decorated soldier, historian and analytical thinker. A graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy and the US Military Academy at West Point, he was a US Army Officer for 34 years. His career included combat service in the Gulf War, where he commanded Eagle Troop in the fiercest US tank battle since WW2. After the Gulf War, he returned to teach history at West Point and earned a Ph.D. in history from UNC. His book, critical of the US involvement in the Vietnam War, Dereliction of Duty, became required reading for the next generation of officers. General McMaster also served in the later wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and spent the last year of his uniformed service as the National Security Adviser in the first Trump administration. His time in Washington was colorfully recounted in At War with Ourselves. H.R. McMaster’s international standing as a soldier and public servant, as well as his book sales, would surely have impressed Benjamin Franklin. Over a sit-down luncheon, Dr. Mather will give a talk and receive the Franklin Founder's Award.
Ticket prices:
- Individuals - $100/person
- Table of 10 - $1,000
THE MORNING SEMINAR (Registration Not Required)
Strating at 9am at the American Philosophical Society (APS).
Welcome to the APS (David Gary/ Patrick Spero CEO of APS)
MODERATOR:
Dr. R. Scott Stephenson, CEO, Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia
SPEAKERS:
Maj Gen Wesley E. Craig, PA National Guard
‘Franklin’s Associators, PANG and the 28th Infantry Division: Three Centuries of Service’
Claire Finkelstein, Algernon Biddle Professor of Law, Professor of Philosophy and Faculty Director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL), University of Pennsylvania Law School
‘Domestic Deployments and Constitutional Constraints on the U.S. Military’
Ronald J. Granieri, Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute (FPRI), Professor of History, Dept. of National Security and Strategy, US Army War College
‘The Future of Military Alliances’
The program will be followed by a free public procession to Benjamin Franklin's grave.
Agenda
9:00-11:15AM: Morning Seminar (Free, no registration required)
at Franklin Hall of the American Philosophical Society
427 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
11:15-12:00: Procession to Frankin's Grave (Free, no registration required)
at Christ Church Burial Ground
340 N. 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
12:15-1:30: Luncheon with Honoree's Presentation (Registration Required)
at Museum of the American Revolution
101 S. 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
For payment by check for the luncheon, please make it out to:
Franklin Birthday Celebration
20 N. American Street
Philadelphia, PA, 19106
