Benjamin Franklin, one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States, is the historical figure featured on the front of the American hundred-dollar bill. While many people assume every face on circulating U.S. paper currency belongs to an American president, Franklin—renowned as a polymath, diplomat, scientist, and printer—never served as President of the United States.
Why Benjamin Franklin Appears on the $100 Bill
The decision to place Benjamin Franklin on the nation's highest-denomination circulating banknote reflects his unmatched contributions to the formation of the American republic and the country's financial independence. Franklin was chosen when the U.S. Department of the Treasury overhauled and standardized the design of circulating paper currency in 1928.
Several central achievements justify Franklin’s enduring place on U.S. currency:
- Founding Father and Signer of Foundational Documents: Franklin holds the unique distinction of signing both the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the United States Constitution (1787). He also helped negotiate and signed the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the American Revolutionary War.
- Early Advocate of Paper Currency: Decades before the Continental Congress issued the first national paper currency, Franklin was an active printer and pamphleteer. In 1729, he published A Modest Enquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper-Currency, arguing that an adequate money supply facilitated trade and economic growth in the colonies. His printing shop produced colonial paper notes for Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, incorporating unique leaf-nature prints to thwart counterfeiters.
- Diplomatic and Fiscal Architecture: As the American minister to France during the Revolution, Franklin secured essential French military and financial loans that kept the Continental Army funded and operational. Without his diplomatic success in Paris, the emerging American economy would have faced immediate collapse.
- Symbol of American Innovation: Franklin represents industriousness, civic responsibility, and scientific progress. The Treasury Department selected portraits of figures whose legacies symbolized the foundational strength, commerce, and unity of the nation.
The Portrait: Artistic Origins and Numismatic Evolution
The image of Benjamin Franklin seen on the current hundred-dollar bill is adapted from a historic oil painting created by French portrait artist Joseph-Siffred Duplessis in 1778. Painted while Franklin was living in Passy, France, this likeness captures Franklin in a plain brown coat with a high white collar, eschewing the powdered wigs fashionable among European aristocracy in favor of his natural gray hair.
Over the decades, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) modified the portrait's framing and prominence across distinct currency series:
1. Small-Size Standardized Notes (Series 1928–1993)
Following the Treasury's 1928 redesign, which reduced the physical dimensions of U.S. currency by roughly 30 percent to the modern standard of 6.14 by 2.61 inches, Franklin's portrait was centered on the front within an oval border. Engraved with fine-line scrollwork, this classic portrait remained essentially unchanged for more than six decades.
2. Enlarged Portrait Redesign (Series 1996)
In response to increasingly sophisticated consumer color copiers and digital reproduction technologies, the Treasury launched the New Currency Design. Franklin’s portrait was enlarged by 50 percent, moved slightly off-center to the left to make room for a watermark on the right, and rendered with improved three-dimensional shading to complicate photographic forgery.
3. The Modern High-Tech Redesign (Series 2013 to Present)
The current version of the $100 note entered public circulation in October 2013 and remains the active circulating design. In this edition, the oval border was completely removed, allowing the shoulders of Franklin's portrait to extend outward toward the edges of the bill. The background features subtle vignettes: a faded excerpt of the Declaration of Independence, a bronze inkwell containing the Bell in the Inkwell graphic, and an American eagle quill pen.
What Is on the Back of the Hundred-Dollar Bill?
The reverse side of the $100 bill depicts Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the historic site where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were debated, drafted, and signed.
Key details of the reverse design include:
- Architectural Perspective: On Series 2013 notes, the BEP altered the angle of Independence Hall to show the south facade (the rear of the building), unlike earlier series that presented the north facade.
- The Clock Tower Hands: If viewed with magnification, the hands on the clock face of the tower point to approximately 4:10. According to official BEP records, there is no verified symbolic meaning behind this specific time; it represents an artistically clear visual rendering created by the original BEP engraver.
- Large Purple Denomination: A prominent, vertical numeral "100" printed in high-contrast purple ink appears in the lower-right quadrant. This feature helps individuals with visual impairments quickly recognize the denomination.
Comparison of Figures on Circulating U.S. Paper Currency
Franklin is one of only two non-presidents currently featured on standard circulating Federal Reserve notes, the other being Alexander Hamilton on the $10-dollar bill. The table below details all current circulating denominations of U.S. paper money.
| Denomination | Portrait Subject | Presidential Status | Reverse Vignette | First Year on Current Denomination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1 Note | George Washington | 1st U.S. President | The Great Seal of the United States | 1869 (Present style standard 1928) |
| $2 Note | Thomas Jefferson | 3rd U.S. President | Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence | 1869 (Present design 1976) |
| $5 Note | Abraham Lincoln | 16th U.S. President | Lincoln Memorial | 1914 |
| $10 Note | Alexander Hamilton | Non-President (1st Treasury Sec.) | U.S. Treasury Building | 1928 |
| $20 Note | Andrew Jackson | 7th U.S. President | The White House | 1928 |
| $50 Note | Ulysses S. Grant | 18th U.S. President | United States Capitol | 1914 |
| $100 Note | Benjamin Franklin | Non-President (Founding Father) | Independence Hall | 1914 |
Advanced Security Features of the Modern $100 Bill
Because the $100 bill is the highest circulating U.S. denomination and the most widely counterfeited American banknote overseas, it incorporates several layers of overt and covert anti-counterfeiting technology. The Federal Reserve, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing continuously audit these defenses.
Crucial Authentication Rule: True currency authentication relies on multi-point inspection. Relying on an iodine-based counterfeit pen alone is inadequate because high-end counterfeiters frequently bleach genuine $1 or $5 bills and re-print $100 graphics over the original cotton-linen paper. Always verify tactile paper feel, embedded watermarks, and shifting optical elements together.
To verify a genuine modern $100 note, check these five primary indicators:
- 3D Security Ribbon: Woven directly through the paper fabric—not printed on top—is a vertical blue ribbon to the right of Franklin's portrait. As you tilt the bill back and forth, tiny bells inside the ribbon morph into the numeral "100". When tilted up and down, they shift side-to-side; when tilted side-to-side, they shift up and down.
- Bell in the Inkwell: Located to the right of the blue ribbon is a copper-colored inkwell. Inside sits a metallic bell that changes color from copper to vibrant green when tilted, making the bell appear to fade into and out of the inkwell.
- Color-Shifting Numeral "100": The large numeral "100" in the bottom-right corner on the front shifts from copper to green when the bill is tilted, caused by specialized optically variable ink.
- Watermark Portrait: Holding the bill up to a light source reveals a faint, secondary portrait of Benjamin Franklin embedded in the paper space to the far right. The image is visible from both sides of the note because it is formed by variations in paper density during manufacturing, not applied with surface ink.
- Security Thread: Held to the light, an embedded vertical polymer thread is visible to the left of the main portrait. It is imprinted with tiny text alternating between the letters "USA" and the numeral "100". When examined under long-wave ultraviolet (UV) light, this thread glows bright pink.
Practical Guide: How Retailers and Cash Handlers Authenticate a $100 Bill
Cash-heavy businesses, financial institutions, and retail staff must process hundred-dollar bills quickly and accurately. Follow this step-by-step physical inspection process to spot counterfeit notes in seconds:
- Feel the Paper: Real U.S. currency is printed on 75% cotton and 25% linen paper infused with red and blue synthetic fibers. It feels slightly abrasive, durable, and fibrous—unlike wood-pulp commercial paper, which feels smooth, waxy, or brittle.
- Run a Fingernail Over Franklin's Coat: Intaglio printing creates raised ink ridges. You should distinctly feel mechanical texture across Franklin's left shoulder, the "United States of America" header, and the corner denominations.
- Tilt the Blue Ribbon and Corner Numeral: Rock the bill slowly. If the blue ribbon lacks optical depth or the corner "100" stays a flat, static color, the bill is fraudulent.
- Hold Up to Backlight: Confirm that the portrait watermark of Franklin matches the main portrait and that the embedded security strip runs vertically without breaks.
- Check Microprinting Under Magnification: Look closely at Franklin's jacket collar for the microprinted phrase "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA", along the border of the watermark space for "USA 100", and along Franklin's quill for "ONE HUNDRED USA". Genuine microprinting remains sharp and legible under a 10x jeweler's loupe, whereas commercial printers turn it into blurry, broken dots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Benjamin Franklin ever the President of the United States?
No, Benjamin Franklin was never President of the United States. He died in April 1790, shortly after the presidency was established under George Washington in 1789. Franklin served in numerous executive and diplomatic roles, including President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania (a role equivalent to state governor), Postmaster General, and Ambassador to France.
Are older hundred-dollar bills without the blue ribbon still legal tender?
Yes, all historical designs of Federal Reserve notes issued since 1914 remain fully valid legal tender for all debts, public and private, under federal law. While older "small-head" (pre-1996) and "large-head" (1996–2006) notes are progressively taken out of circulation by banks and returned to the Federal Reserve for destruction, they never expire and retain their face value indefinitely.
Who appeared on the $100 bill before Benjamin Franklin?
Before Benjamin Franklin became the standard face of the $100 note in 1914, various historical figures appeared on earlier nineteenth-century currency. These included President Abraham Lincoln on 1862 and 1863 Legal Tender Notes, Admiral David Farragut on 1890 Treasury Notes, and President James Monroe on 1878 Silver Certificates.
Why does the modern $100 bill have a blue stripe down the center?
The blue stripe is an advanced anti-counterfeiting measure called a 3D Security Ribbon. It is composed of hundreds of thousands of micro-lenses woven into the paper fibers that refract light to display dynamic, shifting images of bells and the number "100" as the bill is moved, making it exceptionally difficult to replicate on digital printing equipment.
Is the $100 bill the highest denomination the United States has ever printed?
No, the U.S. government previously printed $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 bills for public use, as well as a $100,000 Gold Certificate for inter-bank transactions. The Federal Reserve and Treasury Department officially discontinued issuance of high-denomination bills above $100 in 1969 due to declining use and concerns regarding illicit financial transactions.
Ensure your staff and financial operations remain resilient against fraudulent currency by regularly auditing cash-handling protocols, training employees on intaglio raised printing, and deploying certified dual-spectrum UV/magnetic currency detectors across all physical payment registers.
