The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Information About The Tercentenary Mission & Members

he Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary was a private, non-profit alliance established to mark the three-hundred-year anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s birth (1706-2006) with a celebration dedicated to educating the public about Franklin’s enduring legacy and inspiring renewed appreciation of the values he embodied. The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary represented a consortium created in 2000 by the American Philosophical Society, The Franklin Institute, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the University of Pennsylvania. The consortium was supported by a $4 million gift to the nation from The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Tercentenary’s projects formed the official national celebration for America’s first founding father to reach 300.

THE TERCENTENARY COMMISSION

The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission was established by an Act of Congress in 2002 to study and recommend government programs to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s birth in 2006. The President of the United States served as Honorary Chairman and made six appointments to the Commission. Leaders of Congress appointed another eight of the fifteen members, whose numbers were completed by the Librarian of Congress, serving ex officio. Dr. Rosalind Remer served as Executive Director of the Federal Commission, which operated with the assistance of the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary. The Secretariat of the Commission was the official government point of contact and coordinator for state, local, international, and private sector initiatives organized around the 300th anniversary.

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
Honorary Chairman

Mr. Ralph F. Archbold
Franklin speaker/actor, Philadelphia

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Senator from Delaware

Dr. James H. Billington
Librarian of Congress, ex officio

The Honorable Bob Borski
Former Congressman from Pennsylvania

Wayne A. Budd, Esq.
Executive Vice President and General Counsel, John Hancock Financial Services, Boston

The Honorable Michael Castle
Congressman from Delaware

The Honorable Elise R. W. du Pont
Former Delaware First Lady

The Honorable Chaka Fattah
Congressman from Pennsylvania

John A. Fry
President, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Charles R. Gerow, Esq.
Chief Executive Officer, Quantum Communications, Harrisburg

Dr. Judith S. Rodin
President Emerita, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Dr. Jeffrey L. Sedgwick
Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

The Honorable Arlen Specter
Senator from Pennsylvania
Co-Chairman

Mr. Joseph M. Torsella
Philadelphia

Dr. Dennis M. Wint
President and CEO, The Franklin Institute Science Museum, Philadelphia, Co-Chairman

Dr. Rosalind Remer
Executive Director

EXECUTIVE STAFF

Dr. Rosalind Remer Executive Director, The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Dr. Page Talbott
Associate Director, and Chief Curator, Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World

Constance V. Hershey
Curator, Frankliniana Database

Dr. Susan Taylor-Leduc
European Curator, Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World