Governor William Franklin
| William Franklin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 13th Colonial Governor of New Jersey | |
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In office 1763–1776 |
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| Monarch | George III |
| Preceded by | Josiah Hardy |
| Succeeded by | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | ca. 1730 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | 13/16/17 November, 1813 (aged 82–83) London, England |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | William Temple Franklin |
| Parents | Benjamin Franklin |
| Occupation | Soldier, Colonial Administrator, Politician |
William Franklin FRSE (c. 1730 – November 1813) was an American-born attorney, soldier, politician, and colonial administrator. He was the acknowledged illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin. The last colonial Governor of New Jersey (1763–1776), Franklin was a steadfast Loyalist throughout the American Revolutionary War. As his father was one of the most prominent Patriots and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, their differences caused an irreconcilable break between them.
Following imprisonment by Patriots in 1776-78, he 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.
William Franklin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then a colony in British America. He was the illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin, a leading figure in the city. His mother's identity is unknown. Confusion exists about William's birth and parentage because Benjamin was secretive about his son's origins. In 1750, Ben told his own mother that William was nineteen years old, but this may have been an attempt to make the youth appear legitimate.
William was raised by Benjamin Franklin and Deborah Read, his common-law wife; William always called her his mother. There is some speculation 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 him or to their marital arrangement.
William joined a company of Pennsylvania provincial troops in 1746 and fought in Albany in King George's War, obtaining the rank of captain in 1747. 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, William was 21 years old at the time
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