Franklin receiving a laurel wreath upon his head. From left to right, some of the members of the French court include: Duchesse Jules de Polignac, Princesse Lamballe (holding flowers), Diana Polignac (holding wreath), Comte de Vergennes, Mme Campan, Countesse de Neuilly, Marie-Antoinette (seated), Louis XVI, Princess Elizabeth. In December 1776, Benjamin Franklin was dispatched to France as commissioner for the United States. He conducted the affairs of his country toward the French nation with great success, which included securing a critical military alliance in 1778 and negotiating the Treaty of Paris (1783). His advocacy for religious tolerance in France contributed to arguments made by French philosophers and politicians that resulted in Louis XVI's signing of the Edict of Versailles in November 1787. Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 - April 17, 1790 ) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was an author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman and diplomat. Lithograph credited to Anton Hohenstein, published in the 1860s.