Civ IV: Colonization - Founding Fathers
There are 52 founding fathers in Civ 4: Colonization. They are divided into the five categories: exploration, religion, trade, military, and politics. A founding father provides some kind of advantage to your colonies, such as increased productivity, improved native relations, military promotions and so on.
A founding father will offer to join you when:
• You reach the threshold of points needed for that founding father
• He or she has not yet joined a rival nation
In other words, you'll have to pay close attention and make sure you get the ones you want the most before any of your rivals do. You might want to turn some of them down, save the points, and head for a more expensive founding father you consider more important. Note, however, that once they are turned down they will not offer to join you again.
Founding fathers in the politics category need political points only, but the ones in the other categories need points for their respective categories in addition to the political points.
Political points
This is the most important category, because all founding fathers need political points. Your exploration points may go through the charts, but you will not get any offers from even the most basic exploration fathers unless you also produce sufficient political points. Get political points by producing liberty bells or by assigning citizens to produce political points at the carpenter's shop or lumber mill.
Exploration points
Needed for founding fathers in the exploration category. Get exploration points by exploring the map and visiting native villages, or by producing them at the carpenter's shop or lumber mill.
Religious points
Needed for founding fathers in the religion category. Get religious points by building churches and cathedrals and assign citizens to produce crosses. Religious points can also be produced at the carpenter's shop or lumber mill.
Trade points
Needed for founding fathers in the trade category. Trade points are earned through trade missions or by assigning citizens to produce trade points at the carpenter's shop or lumber mill.
Military points
Needed for founding fathers in the military category. Get military points by fighting in the New World, or assign citizens to produce them at the carpenter's shop or lumber mill.
FULL LIST OF FOUNDING FATHERS
Exploration
Religion
Trade
Military
Politics
(name, effect, cost*)
*at explorer level, normal game speed.
| EXPLORATION |
| Pedro Alvarez Cabral |
 |
50% less travel time to Europe |
210 PP
420 EP |
| Juan Ponce de Leon |
 |
2 times as likely to get treasure from ancient treasure |
280 PP
560 EP |
| Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada |
 |
Reveals all tiles with burial grounds and ancient ruins |
350 PP
770 EP |
| Vasco Nunez de Balboa |
 |
+25% defense in all settlements |
455 PP
980 EP |
| Giovanni da Verrazzano |
 |
Provides 1 Caravel |
560 PP
1330 EP |
| Juan de Bermudez |
 |
+1 movement for Caravel, Merchantman, Galleon |
770 PP
1750 EP |
| John Smith |
 |
-50% cost of native land purchasing |
980 PP
2380 EP |
| Jacques Marquette |
 |
+1 movement for scout |
1330 PP
3150 EP |
| Alexander von Humboldt |
 |
50% faster production of College, University |
1750 PP
4200 EP |
| Lewis and Clark |
 |
-50% pioneer equipment needed
+1 movement for wagon train |
2380 PP
5600 EP |
| RELIGION |
| Bortolome de la Casas |
 |
+50% conversion rate from missions |
280 PP
315 RP |
| Juan de Sepulveda |
 |
Provides 2 converted natives |
385 PP
420 RP |
| William Brewster |
 |
-25% cost of native land purchasing |
490 PP
560 RP |
| Thomas Hooker |
 |
Provides 3 Jesuit Missionaries |
630 PP
770 RP |
| Roger Williams |
 |
+25% converstion rate from missions
Strengthens relations with natives |
840 PP
980 RP |
| Gabrielle Lellemant |
 |
50% faster production of Church, Cathedral |
1120 PP
1330 RP |
| William Penn |
 |
+3 crosses for every Town Hall
Strengthens relations with natives |
1470 PP
1750 RP |
| John Harvard |
 |
Free Schoolhouse in every settlement |
1960 PP
2380 RP |
| Sor Juana |
 |
+3 crosses per Church and Cathedral |
2660 PP
3150 RP |
| Gregorio de Mattos e Guerra |
 |
+2 bells per Church
+3 bells per Cathedral |
3500 PP
4200 RP |
| Nathaniel Hawthorne |
 |
Provides 3 elder statesmen |
4760 PP
5600 RP |
| TRADE |
| Peter Minuit |
 |
-25% cost of recruiting units in Europe |
280 PP
420 TP |
| John Rolfe |
 |
+25% tobacco production in all settlements |
385 PP
560 TP |
| Lord Baltimore |
 |
Increases cross production by the tax rate |
490 PP
770 TP |
| Jan de Witt |
 |
-50% tools required for buildings |
630 PP
1050 TP |
| Adam Smith |
 |
50% faster production of Textile Mill, Coats/Rum/Cigar Factories |
840 PP
1400 TP |
| Alexander Hamilton |
 |
+3 hammers per Town Hall |
1120 PP
1890 TP |
| John Jacob Astor |
 |
+50% fur in every settlement |
1470 PP
2520 TP |
| Eli Whitney |
 |
+50% cotton production in all settlements |
1960 PP
3360 TP |
| Cyrus McCormick |
 |
+1 food on plots with 2 food
+50% sugar per settlement |
2660 PP
4410 TP |
| MILITARY |
| Hernan Cortez |
 |
Free Stockade in every settlement |
280 PP
140 MP |
| Francisco Pizarro |
 |
Free promotion (Looter) |
385 PP
210 MP |
| Diego Velasquez de Cuellar |
 |
Provides 3 Indentured Servants |
490 PP
280 MP |
| Hernando de Soto |
 |
Free promotion (Grenadier 1) |
630 PP
350 MP |
| Francisco de Coronado |
 |
+1 movement for Dragoon |
840 PP
420 MP |
| Chief Powhatan |
 |
+50% strength for converted natives |
1120 PP
560 MP |
| Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve |
 |
Free promotion (Formation)
+1 movement for converts |
1470 PP
770 MP |
| Ethan Allen |
 |
Free promotion (Ranger 1, Mountaineer 1) |
2660 PP
1050 MP |
| John Paul Jones |
 |
Provides 1 Frigate |
3500 PP
1400 MP |
| Marquis de la Fayette |
 |
Increases gun production by the tax rate |
6300 PP
1820 MP |
| Dom Pedro I |
 |
+50% Great General emergence
Free promotion (Veteran 1, Minuteman 1) |
8400 PP
2520 MP |
| POLITICS |
| John Winthrop |
 |
+1 cross per town hall |
630 |
| Pocahontas |
 |
Strengthens relations with the natives |
840 |
| Benjamin Franklin |
 |
+3 liberty bells per printing press, newspaper |
1120 |
| Samuel Adams |
 |
Increases liberty bells production by the tax rate |
1470 |
| Patrick Henry |
 |
+3 bells per town hall |
1960 |
| John Jay |
 |
+25% bells in every settlement |
2660 |
| Thomas Paine |
 |
Increases hammer production by tax rate |
3500 |
| James Madison |
 |
+3 guns per armory, magazine, arsenal |
4760 |
| Betsy Ross |
 |
+3 cloth per weaver's house, weaver's shop, textile mill |
6300 |
| Washington Irving |
 |
+1 bell per schoolhouse
+2 bells per college
+3 bells per university |
8400 |
| Alexis de Tocqueville |
 |
+50% education
+3 bells per University |
11200 |
Return to top
