William Franklin
William Franklin George III | |
---|---|
Preceded by | Josiah Hardy |
Succeeded by | |
Personal details | |
Born | Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania, British America | 22 February 1730
Died | 17 November 1813[a] London, Kingdom of Great Britain | (aged 83)
Spouses | Elizabeth Downes
(m. 1762; died 1777) Mary Johnson d'Evelin
(m. 1788; died 1811) |
Relations | Francis Folger Franklin (paternal half-brother) Sarah Franklin Bache (paternal half-sister) |
Children | William Temple Franklin |
Parent(s) | Benjamin Franklin Deborah Read (stepmother) |
Occupation | Soldier, colonial administrator, politician |
William Franklin
Following imprisonment by Patriots in 1776 to 1778, William became the chief leader of the Loyalists. From his base in New York City, he organized military units to fight on the British side. In 1782, he went into exile in Britain. He lived in London until his death.
Early life
William Franklin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then a colony in British America. He was the extra-marital son of Benjamin Franklin, a leading figure in the city. His mother's identity is unknown.[1] Confusion exists about Franklin's birth and parentage because Benjamin Franklin was secretive about his son's origins. In 1750, Benjamin Franklin told his mother that William was nineteen years old,[2] but this may have been an attempt to make the youth appear to have been conceived within marriage. Some older reference books give William's birth year as 1731.
William was raised by his father and Deborah Read, his father's common-law wife; she had been abandoned by her legal husband but not divorced. William always called her his mother.[2] There is some speculation[3] that Deborah Read was Franklin's biological mother, and that because of his parents' common-law relationship, the circumstances of his birth were obscured so as not to be politically harmful to him or to their marital arrangement.
Franklin joined a company of Pennsylvania provincial troops in 1746 and spent a winter in Albany in King George's War, obtaining the rank of captain in 1747.[4] As he grew older, he accompanied his father on several missions, including trips to England. Although often depicted as a young child when he assisted his father in the famed kite experiment of 1752, Franklin was at least 21 years old at the time.
Marriage and family
As a young man, William became engaged to
Franklin studied law at the Middle Temple, chiefly under Richard Jackson "The Omniscient". While in London, Franklin sired an illegitimate son, William Temple Franklin, who was born 22 February 1762. His mother has never been identified, and Temple was placed in foster care.[7]
Later that year, Franklin married Elizabeth Downes on 4 September 1762 at
On 14 August 1788, William married Mary Johnson d'Evelin, a wealthy Irish widow with children.[7] William's son, Temple, after a failed business career in the U.S., lived with his father and stepmother for a time, and followed in his grandfather and father's footsteps and had an illegitimate daughter, Ellen (15 May 1798 London – 1875 Nice, France), with Ellen Johnson d'Evelin, the sister-in-law of his stepmother, Mary.[9] William took responsibility for his granddaughter Ellen. Temple moved to Paris, where he lived the remainder of his life and never saw his father again.[10] After Mary died in 1811, William continued to live with Ellen, age 13 at the time, and when he died in 1813 he left most of his small estate to her.[11]
Colonial governor
William Franklin completed his law education in England, and was admitted to the bar. William and Benjamin Franklin became partners and confidants, working together to pursue land grants in what was then called the Northwest (now
Franklin was inducted into the original American Philosophical Society, founded by Benjamin Franklin, around 1758.[12]
In 1763, William Franklin was appointed as the Royal Governor of New Jersey. He had asked Lord Bute for the position. Bute made the decision secretly to grant the request, not even informing Benjamin Franklin; he intended as a reward for Benjamin's role and a move to weaken the Penn faction.[13][14] He replaced Josiah Hardy, a merchant and colonial administrator who sided with the New Jersey legislature against the government in London. Randall states:
Franklin proved an able governor; avoiding quarrels with the assembly, he put forth effort to bring about popular reforms, such as the improvement of roads and construction of bridges. He also worked to secure crop subsidies from England and founded the colony's chancery courts. He encouraged the assembly to grant a charter to Rutgers, the state university, and curtailed imprisonment for debt. He pardoned 105 women sentenced to jail for adultery during his fourteen-year term. The Delaware Indians nicknamed him "Dispenser of Justice" after he hanged two Sussex County men for beheading a prisoner during the Pontiac Rebellion. He also established the first Indian reservation in America at Brotherton in Burlington County.[15]
American War of Independence
Owing to his father's role as a
His Loyalist position was a reflection of his respect for benevolent authority which he felt was embodied by the British Crown, a view consistent with his father's earlier Anglophilia. Further, unlike his father William was a devout member of the Church of England, which reinforced his loyalty to the Crown. Financially, he needed the salary and perquisites.[17] On 13 January 1775, with revolution seeming imminent, Franklin delivered his "Two Roads" speech to the New Jersey legislature, urging the New Jersey Legislature to take the road toward prosperity as a part of England rather than a road to civil war and anarchy. The legislature instead unanimously issued a resolution in support of the radicals in Boston.[18]
Capture and imprisonment, 1776–1778
William Franklin remained as governor of New Jersey, and secretly reported Patriot activities to London. He continued as governor until January 1776, when colonial militiamen placed him under house arrest, which lasted until the middle of June. After the Declaration of Independence, Franklin was formally taken into custody by order of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey, an entity which he refused to recognize, regarding it as an "illegal assembly".[19] He was incarcerated in Connecticut for two years, in Wallingford and Middletown. He surreptitiously engaged Americans in supporting the Loyalist cause. Discovered, he was held in solitary confinement at Litchfield, Connecticut for eight months. When finally released in a prisoner exchange in 1778, he moved to New York City, which was still occupied by the British.[20]
New York Loyalist leader, 1778–1781
Once in New York, Boyd Schlenther says he became, "the acknowledged leader of the American loyalists, for whom he struggled to secure aid. He also built up an unofficial yet active spy network."
While in New York, Franklin tried to encourage a
Asgill Affair
In 1782 Franklin was implicated in the Loyalist officer
When he heard of Huddy's death, General George Washington threatened to execute Captain Charles Asgill, a British officer who had been captured at Yorktown, unless Lippincott were handed over to the American military. The British refused, but tried Lippincott. The British acquitted him of charges in the hanging. Due to the intervention of the French King Louis XVI, who interceded with his American allies to prevent Asgill's execution, the British officer was eventually released by the Continental Congress, where it was agreed he should return to England on parole. Despite the speed with which it was terminated, the Asgill Affair temporarily stalled peace talks between American and British authorities, extending uncertainty over the United States' prospects. Ironically, Benjamin Franklin was a senior negotiator for the revolutionary Americans in Paris when the Asgill Affair occurred.
Exile and death
The
In 1783 he visited Scotland and was asked to be a founding member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.[24]
Benjamin Franklin dedicated his autobiography (written before the war) to his son,[25] though the only mention of William within the manuscript is the inclusion of a newspaper article in which Franklin noted that his son was authorized to make contracts to purchase carts for the British army.[26] But the father and son were never reconciled; the elder Franklin became known for his uncompromising position related to not providing compensation nor amnesty for the Loyalists who left the colonies, during the negotiations in Paris for the Peace of Paris. His son's reputation as a Loyalist contributed to his position.[27] The British government gave him £1,800 from the Commissioners of Loyalist Claims. That was the value of his furniture; there was no payment for his lands. He also received a brigadier's half-pay pension of £800 per year.[28]
William Franklin sent a letter to his father, dated 22 July 1784, in an attempt at reconciliation. His father never accepted his position, but responded in a letter dated 16 August 1784, in which he states "[We] will endeavor, as you propose mutually to forget what has happened relating to it, as well we can."[29] William saw his father one last time in 1785, when Benjamin stopped in Britain on his return journey to the U.S. after his time in France. The meeting was brief and involved tying up outstanding legal matters. In a reconciliation attempt, Benjamin also proposed that his son give land that he owned in New York and New Jersey to William's son Temple, who had served as Benjamin's secretary during the war and for whom the elder Franklin had great affection, in order to repay a debt William owed his father; in the event, William transferred the New York portion of the land.[30] In his 1788 will, Benjamin left William virtually none of his wealth, except some nearly worthless territory in Nova Scotia and some property already in William's possession. He stated in the will that the way William "acted against me in the late war, which is of public notoriety, will account for my leaving him no more of an estate he endeavoured to deprive me of."[31]
William died on November 17, 1813, in London, and was buried in London's St Pancras Old Church churchyard.
Legacy and honors
- Franklin Township in Bergen County, New Jersey, was named in William's honor, as was the borough of Franklin Lakes.
In popular culture
William Franklin is referenced in a humorous dialogue exchange in the stage musical 1776. During a session of the Continental Congress, John Hancock asks Benjamin Franklin if he has heard any news from his son, whom Hancock calls the Royal Governor of New Jersey. To this Dr. Franklin responds, "As that title might suggest, sir, we are not in touch at the present time." Later when a new congressional delegation from New Jersey arrives, the leader of the delegation, Rev. John Witherspoon, informs Dr. Franklin of William's arrest and transferral to Connecticut. Upon learning that William is unharmed, Dr. Franklin contemptuously answers, "Tell me, why did they arrest the little bastard?"
William Franklin is referenced in Lin Manuel- Miranda's song 'Ben Franklin's Song', sung by The Decemberists first released, on December 15, 2017.[32] The song, sung from Benjamin Franklin's perspective references his son William's imprisonment with the lyrics:
- One pain that lingers, the hitch in my stride
- Is my son back at home who I could not guide
- Who sits all alone in a prison cell on the wrong side
- Stands against our young nation.
William Franklin is also referenced occasionally in the series 'Franklin' on AppleTV+ by several characters, including by his son, William Temple Franklin, as well as Benjamin Franklin himself.
See also
Notes
- ^ New Jersey Department of State gives 13 Nov., Encyclopedia.com gives 16 Nov. and Geni.com gives 17 Nov.
References
- Britannica Online, archived from the originalon 28 December 2007, retrieved 16 November 2006
- ^ a b Randall 1984, p. 43.
- ^ Hart 1911.
- ^ Skemp 1990, p. 10.
- ^ "Thomas Græme", ushistory.org, archived from the original on 12 June 2011
- ^ "Graeme Park | The "Other" Women of Graeme Park".
- ^ a b Franklin, William Temple, Papers, 1775–1819, American Philosophical Society, archived from the original on 7 May 2009, retrieved 4 November 2012
- ^ ISBN 0-8156-0418-1.
- ^ Daniel Mark Epstein (2017), The Loyal Son: The War in Ben Franklin's House, pp 382
- ^ Sheila L. Skemp (1990) William Franklin: Son of a Patriot, Servant of a King, pp 274
- ^ , Skemp, pp 274
- ^ Bell, Whitfield J., and Charles Greifenstein, Jr. Patriot-Improvers: Biographical Sketches of Members of the American Philosophical Society. 3 vols. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1997, I:22–23, 175, 183, 219–28, 220. 391,430, 433–34, 444, II:248,401, III:19, 235, 296, 489, 490, 505.
- ^ H. W. Brands, The First American: The life and times of Benjamin Franklin (2000) pp 327–28.
- ^ R. C. Simmons, "Colonial Patronage: Two Letters from William Franklin to the Earl of Bute, 1762." William and Mary Quarterly 59.1 (2002): 123–134.
- ^ Randall, American National Biography (2000)
- ^ Sheila L. Skemp, "Benjamin Franklin, Patriot, and William Franklin, Loyalist." Pennsylvania History 65.1 (1998): 35–45.
- ^ Sheila L. Skemp, "William Franklin: His Father's Son." Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 109.2 (1985): 145–178.
- ^ Epstein, 200–201
- ^ Skemp 1990, p. 211.
- ^ William Franklin, Info please.
- ^ Schlenther, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2008).
- ISBN 1-55710-034-9.
- ^ Fleming, pp. 188–89.
- ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original(PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ^ Franklin, Benjamin, "Dedication", Autobiography,
Dear Son:...
- ^ Franklin, Benjamin, Benjamin Franklin, his autobiography, The Harvard classics. 1909–14, New York: P.F. Collier & Son, retrieved 5 July 2006 – via bartleby.com.
- ^ Fleming, Thomas, The Perils of Peace: America's Struggle for Survival, (Collins, New York, 2007) 236
- ^ W.S. Randall, American National Biography (2000).
- ISBN 1883011531.
- ^ Asmar, Melanie (May 2016). "Ben Franklins family quarrel". Yale Alumni Magazine. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- ^ Franklin, Benjamin, Last Will and Testament, FI, archived from the original on 15 February 1997, retrieved 5 July 2006.
- ^ "Lin-Manuel Miranda Announces 'Hamildrops' Series, Promising New Monthly 'Hamilton' Content for the Next Year".
Bibliography
- Epstein, Daniel Mark (2017). The Loyal Son: The War in Ben Franklin's House. Description & preview. Ballantine. Kirkus Review & Publishers Weekly Review
- Ford, Paul Leicester (1889), Who Was the Mother of Franklin's Son?: An Historical Conundrum, Hitherto given up—Now Partly Answered, Brooklyn
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link). - Gerlach, Larry R. William Franklin: New Jersey's Last Royal Governor (1976), a scholarly biography
- Hart, Charles Henry (1911), "Who Was the Mother of Franklin's Son: An Inquiry demonstrating that she was Deborah Read, wife of Benjamin Franklin", Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 35 (3), PSU: 308–14.
- Randall, Willard Sterne (1984), A Little Revenge: Benjamin Franklin & His Son, Little, Brown & Co.
- Randall, Willard Sterne. "Franklin, William"; American National Biography Online 2000.
- Skemp, Sheila (1990), William Franklin: Son of a Patriot, Servant of a King, Oxford University Press.
- Schlenther, Boyd Stanley. "Franklin, William (1730/31–1813)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 Boyd Stanley accessed 1 Oct 2017 doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/62971
- Skemp, Sheila L. "Benjamin Franklin, Patriot, and William Franklin, Loyalist." Pennsylvania History 65.1 (1998): 35–45.
- Skemp, Sheila L. "William Franklin: His Father's Son." Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 109.2 (1985): 145–178.
Additional reading
- Long Stanley, Wendy (2019). The Power to Deny: A Woman of the Revolution Novel. Carmenta Publishing. ISBN 978-1-951747-00-8.
External links
- Media related to William Franklin at Wikimedia Commons
- Biography of William Franklin, Franklin Institute, archived from the original on 3 July 2007
- The Proprietary House (final home of the Royal Governor)