William Penn
| William Penn | |
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Picture of William Penn
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| Born |
14 October 1644 London, England |
| Died | 30 July 1718 (aged 73) Ruscombe, Berkshire, England |
| Occupation | Real estate entrepreneur |
| Spouse(s) | Gulielma Maria Springett, Hannah Margaret Callowhill |
| Children | William Penn, Jr., John Penn, Thomas Penn, Richard Penn, Sr., Letitia Penn, Margaret Penn, Dennis Penn, Hannah Penn |
| Parent(s) | Admiral Sir William Penn and Margaret Jasper |
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William Penn (14 October 1644 – 30 July 1718) was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, early Quaker and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early advocate of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful treaties with the Lenape Native Americans. Under his direction, the city of Philadelphia was planned and developed.
In 1681 King Charles II handed over a large piece of his American land holdings to William Penn to appease the debts the king owed to Penn's father. This land included present-day Pennsylvania and Delaware. Penn immediately set sail and took his first step on American soil in New Castle in 1682 after his trans-Atlantic journey. On this occasion, the colonists pledged allegiance to Penn as their new proprietor, and the first general assembly was held in the colony. Afterwards, Penn journeyed up the Delaware River and founded Philadelphia. However, Penn's Quaker government was not viewed favourably by the Dutch, Swedish, and English settlers in what is now Delaware. They had no 'historical' allegiance to Pennsylvania, so they almost immediately began petitioning for their own assembly. In 1704 they achieved their goal when the three southernmost counties of Pennsylvania were permitted to split off and become the new semi-autonomous colony of Lower Delaware. As the most prominent, prosperous and influential "city" in the new colony, New Castle became the capital.
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