William Franklin

For other uses, see William Franklin (disambiguation).

William Franklin
Colonial Governor of New Jersey
In office 1763–1776
Preceded by	Josiah Hardy
Succeeded by	William Livingston
Personal details
Born	ca. 1730 Philadelphia
Died	November 17, 1813 (aged 81–82) London
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Downes, Mary Johnson d'Evelin
Occupation	soldier, colonial administrator

William Franklin (ca. 1730 – November 17, 1813) was an American soldier and colonial administrator. He served as the last Colonial Governor of New Jersey. Franklin was a steadfast Loyalist throughout the American War of Independence, despite his father Benjamin Franklin's role as one of the most prominent Patriots during the conflict, a difference that tore the two apart. In 1782 he went into exile in Britain, where he remained until his death.

Early life

William Franklin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then a colony in British America. The exact date of his birth is uncertain, but it was most probably in 1730. He was the illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin, a leading figure in the city. While his mother's identity is unknown, evidence suggests she was a "low woman". Confusion exists about William's birth and parentage because Benjamin was secretive about his sons' origins. In 1750 he stated to his own mother that his son was nineteen years old, but this may have been an attempt to make him appear legitimate.

William was raised by Benjamin Franklin and Deborah Read, Benjamin's common-law wife, who he always referred to as his mother. There is some speculation^{[citation needed]} that Deborah Read was William's 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 William.

William was engaged to Elizabeth Graeme, daughter of prominent Philadelphia physician Dr. Thomas Graeme and granddaughter of Pennsylvania's 14th Governor, Sir William Keith. Neither family approved of the match, and when William went to London to study law, he left with the understanding that Elizabeth would wait for him.

While there, however, Franklin married Elizabeth Downes on September 4, 1762 at St George's, Hanover Square in London, England. She was born in the English colony of Barbadoes to sugar planter John Downes and his wife Elizabeth (nee Parsons). She met Franklin when she was visiting England with her father in 1760. She died in May 1777 while William was incarcerated by the colonial authorities. Elizabeth was interred beneath the altar of St. Paul's Chapel in lower Manhattan where she had resided after the British evacuated Perth Amboy. The memorial plague on the wall at St. Paul's was commisioned by William Franklin who would remain in exile in London.

Frankln had one son William Temple Franklin, who was born out of wedlock on Feb 22, 1762 in Middlesex section of London England. Elizabeth Downes was not Temple Frankin's mother who has never been identified. He was brought to America and raised by his grandfather Benjamin Franklin. He died in Paris, France in 1823 and was buried in the famed Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

Education

As William 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 in 1752, William was 21 years old at the time.

Military service

William joined the American Regiment in 1746 and fought in Albany in King George's War, obtaining the rank of captain in 1747. He completed his education in England, and was admitted to the bar. William and Benjamin Franklin were partners and confidantes, working together to pursue land grants in the midwest.

Governor of New Jersey

Proprietary House in Perth Amboy, where Franklin lived as governor

When the family returned from England, in 1763, he carried a commission from George III to be the Royal Governor of New Jersey, secured in large part based on his father's lobbying efforts with the Prime Minister Lord Bute. He replaced outgoing Governor Josiah Hardy. As Governor, William Franklin signed the charter for Queen's College, which would evolve into Rutgers University.

American War of Independence

Owing to his father's pivotal role as a Founding Father and William's loyalty to Britain, the relationship between father and son was strained past the breaking point. When Benjamin finally decided to take up the patriot cause, he tried to convince William to join him, but the son stayed steadfastly loyal to the Crown.

William remained as governor until he was arrested in 1776 by the Provincial Congress of New Jersey, an entity which William refused to recognise, regarding it as an "illegal assembly". For two years, he was held as a prisoner, first in Wallingford then Middletown, where he surreptitiously engaged Americans in supporting the Loyalist cause. Discovered, he was incarcerated in Litchfield, Connecticut under appalling conditions for eight months, for an American prisoner of war.^{[citation needed]} When finally released in 1778, he moved to New York City, still occupied by the British. He was active in the Loyalist community of New York, becoming prominent on the Board of Associated Loyalists.

Asgill Affair

Main article: Asgill Affair

He sought a guerilla war and active reprisals against the rebels but was frustrated by British Commander-in-Chief General Clinton. In 1782 Franklin was implicated in the hanging of Joshua Huddy by Loyalist officer Richard Lippincott, which in turn sparked the Asgill Affair. During a raid, Loyalist troops, under Franklin's general oversight, captured an officer of the New Jersey militia, Joshua Huddy. Huddy was subsequently hanged in revenge for a series of similar killings of Loyalists, particularly that of Phillip White. Huddy was a member of the Association of Retaliation, a vigilante body which had a history of assaulting and murdering Loyalists and Neutrals in New Jersey. It was alleged by some that Franklin had sanctioned the killing of Huddy.

When he heard of Huddy's death, George Washington threatened to execute Captain Charles Asgill, a British officer who had been captured at Yorktown, unless Lippincott was handed over. The British refused, but did put Lippincott on trial themselves. He was absolved of responsibility for the hanging. Agsill's life was eventually spared due to the intervention of the French King Louis XVI who interceded with his American allies to prevent the execution.

Exile

In 1782, Franklin departed for Britain, never to return. In London, Franklin became a leading spokesman for the Loyalist community. Because of the continued strength of British forces in North America, in spite of the disaster at Yorktown, many expected Britain to continue fighting the war. Their hopes were further raised by the naval victory against the French at the Battle of the Saintes and the successful defence of Gibraltar. In summer 1782 a new British government came to power, who still hoped to achieve a reconciliation with America.

It is likely that William's Loyalism was a major factor in Benjamin Franklin's uncompromising position towards the Loyalists during the negotiations in Paris for a peace treaty.

Treaty of Paris

Main article: Treaty of Paris (1783)

In 1783 the Peace of Paris was concluded, bringing the war to an end. Parliament agreed to the independence of the Thirteen Colonies and to generous borders, although Benjamin Franklin's demands that Britain cede parts of Canada and other territories in North America were rejected. British forces were gradually evacuated from America during 1782 and 1783. The last major British garrison, at New York City, was evacuated in late 1783. However, British troops continued to occupy five forts in the Northwest on territory now belonging to the United States. This remained a source of tension between the two nations until the signing of the Jay Treaty more than a decade later. In the wake of Britain's formal acknowledgement of independence many Loyalists fled into exile, settling in other parts of the Empire and in Britain itself.

Later years

William tried without success to reconcile with his father through a letter sent on August 16, 1784. William saw his father one last time in 1785, when Benjamin stopped in Britain following his return to America from his time in France. The meeting was brief and involved tying up outstanding legal matters. On August 14, 1788 William married Mary Johnson d'Evelin.

In his will, Benjamin Franklin left William virtually none of his wealth, except some territory in Nova Scotia, stating that had Britain won the war, the elder Franklin would have had no wealth to leave to his son anyway. Although Benjamin addresses his autobiography to his son, he does not mention him further, except indirectly by the inclusion of a newspaper article in which Benjamin notes that his (then still in good standing) son may make contracts for the procurement of carts for the British army.

After a failed career in business in the United States, William Temple Franklin came to live in Europe where he was reunited with William. Temple would later work on the publication of the autobiography written by Benjamin Franklin. William Franklin died in 1813, and is buried in St Pancras Old Church churchyard.

Legacy

Franklin Township in Bergen County, New Jersey, was named in William's honor, rather than for his father, as was the borough of Franklin Lakes. Franklin Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, site of the Revolutionary War Battle of Middlebush, was believed by many to also have been named for William, but no document exists to prove that. In 2000, the Franklin Township Council determined it should espouse the hypothesis that the Township was indeed named for Benjamin Franklin. Downe Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey was named after the maiden name of William's wife, Elizabeth. The "s" on Downes was dropped.

See also

• Burlington Company
• Proprietary House
• Willingboro, New Jersey
• Cumberland County, New Jersey

Bibliography

• Sheila Skemp, William Franklin: Son of a Patriot, Subject of a King (1990).
• Randall, William Sterne. A Little Revenge: Benjamin Franklin & His Son. Little, Brown & Co, 1984.

External links

• Biography of William Franklin
• Franklin Institute Biography of William Franklin
• William Franklin at Find a Grave

Government offices
Preceded by Josiah Hardy	Governor of New Jersey Last Colonial Governor 1763–1776 Last Royal Governor	Succeeded by William Livingston First Revolutionary Governor