Junto, the Spirit of Organization

Benjamin Franklin penned his autobiography in the last decades of his life. A classic of the genre, it became the quintessential narrative of a self-made man finding success in the context of American colonial society. In it, Franklin describes his efforts at self-improvement, including his founding in 1727, at the age of twenty-one, of the Junto, or the Leather Apron Club. This group of twenty-one young men in his city of Philadelphia met to debate, share ideas, and assist in each other’s business interests. The Junto led to the creation of the Philadelphia Library Company and the Union Fire Company.