Here's a quiz: Agrippa was a statesman and general that played a prominent role in the birth of the Roman Empire, yet he was never an emperor. He was also well-known as a writer and geographer. The coins that bear his portraits were all minted after his death to commemorate his achievements as one of the fathers of the Empire. Do these coins remind you of a US issue?
You show your insight. During the 18th- and 19th-centuries, the predominant feature on US coinage was the personification of Liberty. Sound familiar? Roman Republican coinage features gods, events, etc. Not till around the time Augustus do we get portraits of emperors. In 1909, the first coin to feature a US president was minted: the Lincoln cent. Throughout the 20th-century, up until today, it is still considered unacceptable to put "reigning" presidents on circulating US coins, so we've had Jefferson, Washington, and recently Eisenhower and Kennedy, and most recently, all of them on the dollar coins. Who is the exception in that he never served as president, but played a prominent role in the founding of the country? Benjamin Franklin. The Franklin Halves of the early Roman Empire.
Yipee. I was right for a change. As a side note, I've always been a fan of Ben Franklin. I often quote many proverbs and aphorisms from Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack.
Following wars we tend to elect Washington, Jackson, Grant and Eisenhower types. Franklin was not a soldier in a time when the country wanted one. In addition to being a bit too old and dying in 1790, I am concerned that Franklin might have been a hard sell to the conservative element. Read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fart_Proudly http://www.greatseal.com/symbols/turkey.html Then, as now, the people who might do the best job in high office might just be too smart to run and put themselves in for the accompanying abuse.
I hadn't seen the "Fart Proudly" letter before. What a character, and you are right about being a hard sell to the conservatives of the time (I feel compelled to point out the politics of liberalism/conservatism have changed over time).