William Franklin Papers, American Philosophical Society

The only son of Benjamin Franklin, William Franklin served as Royal Governor of New Jersey during the critical years between 1762 and 1776. An ardent Loyalist, William split with his father over their political differences in the early days of the Revolution, and after enduring two years of imprisonment, became a leader in the Loyalist cause. He settled in London in 1782, where he worked as an agent for Loyalist claims.

The William Franklin Papers are a miscellaneous assemblage of letters and documents, dealing largely with Franklin's years as Royal Governor of New Jersey. The majority of the letters are perfunctory, however they provide some information on Franklin's land holdings in New Jersey and the Ohio country. The collection includes two letters relating to Franklin's imprisonment in Connecticut during the Revolution, two affectionate letters to his sister Sarah, and one to his son William Temple Franklin.

Background note

The only son of Benjamin Franklin, William Franklin rose through life from illegitimate birth to become the last Royal Governor of New Jersey. Born in Philadelphia to an unidentified woman of low standing, William was raised by Franklin and his common law wife, Deborah Read Franklin. A favored child, he enjoyed the best education that the city could offer, including two years at Alexander Annand's classical academy, and was still in his teens when he received a commission to serve as Ensign in the 60th Regiment of Foot (the American Regiment) during King George's War. Serving in upstate New York, he distinguished himself for conspicuous bravery and won promotion to Captain of Grenadiers by the war's end, even helping his father to organize the militia in Philadelphia during a furlough in 1747.

After the war, William and his father grew increasingly close, working together on all manner of projects. William joined as an assistant in his father's electrical experiments during the 1750s, and the two worked closely in a variety of civic projects in Philadelphia. Perhaps most propitiously, William also became an important political ally in the antiproprietary faction, writing scathing pamphlets against his father's political foes under the apt pseudonym Humphrey Scourge. In return, Benjamin favored his son by using his political influence to win him appointment to a succession of minor offices, from Clerk of the Assembly to postmaster. He also served at his father's side during the Seven Years' War in organizing the colony's defenses and erecting a series of forts.

In his mid-twenties, William turned to the study of law, reading under Joseph Galloway, who later became a prominent Loyalist, and after his father's removal to London in 1757, with Richard Jackson in the Middle Temple. Ingratiating himself in London society, William earned the attention of John Pownall, Secretary of the Board of Trade, who probably recommended him for higher office. After a brief but intense struggle with the New Jersey Assembly, Pownall and the Earl of Bute had Franklin appointed Royal Governor of New Jersey in August 1762, an office he may have earned without his father's intervention.

William appointment as governor was a watershed in his career, and not merely a step up the ladder. An able administrator, his term in office began just as the colonial crises of mid-century were coming to a head. His relatively enlightened Indian policy and support for internal improvements and legal reforms, including chartering Rutgers University, were received well in the colony, however his unbending enforcement of the Stamp Act and hard line support for the government's policies earned him the disdain of American "patriots." While his father moved ever further into the revolutionary camp, William moved into the Loyalist, providing information on the revolutionary activities in the colony to London and working tirelessly against the cause for independence. After he and his father met at Galloway's estate in May 1775, the two split permanently.

Declared "an enemy to the liberties of this country" by the Continental Congress in June, 1776, William was arrested and held under harsh conditions in New Jersey and Connecticut, refusing to acknowledge to legitimacy of his captors even after being subjected to 250 days of solitary confinement. Exchanged in November 1778, Franklin entered New York, and under the direction of Henry Clinton, unleashed his efforts in the Loyalist cause. Using the formidable organizational skills associated with the Franklins, William helped found the Board of Associated Loyalists and organized Loyalist resistance activities on Long Island and northern New Jersey that were famously -- or infamously -- considered some of the most ruthless in the war. His notoriety was so great that George Washington intervened personally, though without success, in an attempt to coerce Clinton into surrendering the former governor.

With the war all but lost in August 1782, Franklin left for London. In compensation for the considerable estate he lost, he was awarded a mere £1,800 from the Commissioners of Loyalist Claims and was placed on half pay by the Army at the rank of Brigadier General. Disinherited and never fully reconciled with his father, William lived a comfortable life with his second wife, Mary D'Evelyn, a wealthy Irish widow, working as an agent for Loyalist claims.

Scope and content

The William Franklin Papers are a miscellaneous assemblage of letters and documents relating to the estranged only son of Benjamin Franklin, dealing largely with his years as Royal Governor of New Jersey. The majority of the letters are perfunctory, however they provide some information on Franklin's land holdings in New Jersey and the Ohio country. The collection includes two letters relating to Franklin's imprisonment in Connecticut during the Revolution, two affectionate letters to his sister Sarah, and one to his son William Temple Franklin.

Administrative information

Restrictions

None.

Provenance

Acquired variously.

Preferred citation

Cite as: William Franklin Papers, American Philosophical Society.

Processing information

Recatalogued by rsc, 2002.

Additional information

Related material

William Franklin appears as a correspondent and subject in the several collections to Benjamin Franklin and his family, including the Benjamin Franklin Papers (B F85), Franklin-Bache Papers (B F85ba), and the William Temple Franklin Papers (B F86).

References

Mariboe, William Herbert, The life of William Franklin, 1730(1)-1813 : ''pro rege et patria" (PhD. Diss., University of Pennsylvania, 1962). Call no.: B F861ma.

Skemp, Sheila. William Franklin: Son of a Patriot, Servant of a King (New York: Oxford, 1990). Call no.: B F861s.

Stern, Randall Willard. A Little Revenge: Benjamin Franklin and His Son (Boston: Little, Brown, 1984). Call no.: B F85rn.