My personal favorite Founding Father has to be Washington, but that is mostly because of him as President. If you are talking about the greatest Founding Father prior to the Constitutional Convention then my vote goes to Franklin. Franklin was the first to put forth a plan for union — The Albany Plan of Union — for the states, and was clearly one step ahead of his contemporaries as is evident in his other ideas, research, discoveries and inventions.

Excellent point about Franklin.  Welcome to the forum CaptDreyfus!

Why does everyone leave John Adams out?From what I understand, while Franklin worked on getting French support, he actually worked very little.  John Adams had to prod Franklin along.  Besides French support, we also needed financing.  We got a lot of this financing from the Netherlands where Adams went alone to do this and succeeded.  Without this, the war might not have been won.  He also was smart enough to not get involved with the French Revolution while we were still a very young nation.While Franklin was a schmoozer, it sounds to me like Adams was the workhorse.  He also already had an intelligent constitution for his state of Mass. resembling much of what the country eventually adopted.  He was also the last president of the US that tried to be completely unbiased.  There is no correct answer to this question, but atleast include John Adams on the list, he was a very great man.

Franklin worked very, very hard while in France.  But, unlike Adams, he performed more of his labors in the salons of Paris than in the office.  John Adams did not understand how much diplomatic work is accomplished behind the scenes in informal conversations and settings.  Franklin spent his evening hours with the “movers and shakers” who fundamentally ignored the “other Adams” (as he contemptuous called) all the time John Adams was in France.  Franklin didn't go to office until mid-day which upset Adams–who never understood the importance of the Parisian salons. Franklin was very popular with the French and they treated like a “rock star.”  John Adams was jealous–and because he neither understood nor had admission to the salons–complained that Franklin “didn't do any work” when the truth is very much the opposite. In judging how hard Franklin worked don't overlook his age and his gout.  He put in more than a full day's work throughout his stay in France.

While the signature thing is largely considered myth he did have a fat checkbook and was a major source of funding for the cause.  😉

That is a very difficult question. I admire many of them for many reasons but if I had to choose it would certainly be Franklin.