The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin · Character

Samuel Keimer

Franklin's first Philadelphia employer, a shabby, eccentric printer whose failing shop becomes the young apprentice's unwitting classroom in business and self-reliance.

supporting

Also known as Keimer, S. Keimer

First appearance: Arrival in Philadelphia

As a supporting figure in The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Keimer is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A printer in Philadelphia who employs Franklin to print an elegy on Aquilla Rose; described as a poor workman and a knave.

In the storyArrival in PhiladelphiaOpen this moment free

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Keimer runs a ragged print shop where Franklin works while secretly measuring his own prospects against his master's disorder. Odd in dress and doctrine, he embodies the precarious tradesman Franklin vows not to become,…

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Character Web

19 connections

A slice of how Samuel Keimer sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Rivalry
Professional

Character groups

Rivals and Adversaries
Extended Network and Collaborators
Early Influences and Mentors
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because Franklin transitions from merely recording his personal success…

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Relationships

Andrew Bradford
rivalry · negative
Competing printers in Philadelphia, with Bradford undermining Keimer's business. How this plays out →
David Harry
professional · negative
Sir William Keith
professional · ambivalent
George Whitefield
professional · positive
Benjamin Franklin
professional · negative

Andrew Bradford
Competing printers in Philadelphia, with Bradford undermining Keimer's business.
David Harry
Harry was Keimer's apprentice and later rival printer, eventually leaving Keimer's shop.
Sir William Keith
Keith patronized Keimer's printing business, but their relationship was transactional and strained.
George Whitefield
Whitefield employed Keimer to print his sermons and journals during his evangelical tours.
Benjamin Franklin
Franklin worked as a journeyman printer in Keimer's shop before leaving to start his own business.

Relationship notes

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In the story

Samuel Keimer appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Arrival in Philadelphia
A printer in Philadelphia who employs Franklin to print an elegy on Aquilla Rose; described as a poor workman and a knave.
Early Friends in Philadelphia
Franklin's employer and roommate; they engage in Socratic disputations and a three-month vegetarian experiment.
First Visit to London
Not directly mentioned in this chapter.
VII: Beginning Business in Philadelphia
Former employer, now has a better shop and offers Franklin high wages to manage his printing house.
Business Success and First Public Service
His business declines and he is forced to sell his printing-house and move to Barbados.

Chapter companion notes

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See Samuel Keimer in Arrival in Philadelphia