# Could Benjamin Franklin be any cooler?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-benjamin-franklin-be-any-cooler/198705>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 30, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-benjamin-franklin-be-any-cooler/198705 "2003-08-30T23:54:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-benjamin-franklin-be-any-cooler/198705/21 "2003-09-03T21:06:24Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by cckerberos_  
> Definitely not on the Presidential track. He was born in the West Indies so he was not eligible for the Presidency.

That alone would not necessarily disqualify him. U.S. Constitution, article II, section 1, clause 5:

> [@](#):
>
> No Person except a natural born Citizen, **or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution,** shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

emphasis added:

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Sampiro \*  
> An admirable thing, though, is that as an aging man he did **something aging men seldom do** and changed his mind.

Cite?

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