William Franklin

William Franklin was the last colonial governor of the Province of New Jersey and a prominent Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War. The illegitimate son of the renowned Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, his unwavering allegiance to the British Crown placed him in direct and tragic opposition to his father and the Patriot cause. His governorship, military service for Great Britain, and subsequent exile cemented his legacy as a significant, if controversial, figure in the conflict that birthed the United States.

Early life and family

Born out of wedlock in Philadelphia, his mother's identity remains uncertain, though he was raised from infancy by his father and his common-law wife, Deborah Read. He received a classical education and demonstrated an early aptitude for science, accompanying his father on famous experiments with electricity. In 1756, he traveled to England with Benjamin Franklin, where he studied law at the Middle Temple and was admitted to the bar. He cultivated important connections within British society, including the influential William Strahan, and developed a deep affinity for imperial institutions. In 1762, he married Elizabeth Downes, the daughter of a wealthy Barbados planter, further entrenching his ties to the Atlantic World and the colonial elite.

Colonial governor of New Jersey

Through his father's political patronage, William Franklin was appointed as the royal governor of the Province of New Jersey in 1763, a position he assumed with ambition. His administration initially focused on pragmatic improvements, supporting the founding of Queen's College and navigating disputes over land titles with the Proprietors. However, the growing crisis over imperial policy, such as the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts, forced him into a difficult position. While he privately expressed sympathy for colonial grievances, his official duty compelled him to enforce the policies of the Parliament and the ministries of George Grenville and Lord North, straining his relationship with increasingly radical colonial assemblies.

Loyalist during the American Revolution

As the American Revolution erupted, William Franklin became one of the most prominent and steadfast Loyalists. He vehemently opposed the First Continental Congress, where his father served as a delegate, and worked to organize Loyalist sentiment within New Jersey. In January 1776, the New Jersey Provincial Congress declared him an enemy and placed him under arrest. He was imprisoned for over two years in Connecticut, under the authority of Governor Jonathan Trumbull Sr., during which his famous epistolary rupture with his father became complete. After a prisoner exchange, he was appointed president of the Board of Associated Loyalists in occupied New York, where he was controversially associated with retaliatory warfare, including the hanging of Patriot militia captain Joshua Huddy.

Later life and death

Following the British defeat at the Siege of Yorktown and the Treaty of Paris (1783), William Franklin departed for England as an exile. He spent the remainder of his life in London, actively petitioning the British government for compensation for Loyalist losses. He received a pension and was briefly considered for the post of Governor of the proposed Colony of New Ireland in present-day Maine. His first wife having died during the war, he married Mary Johnson d'Evelin, an Irish widow, in 1788. He maintained a distant, though partially reconciled, correspondence with his father but was entirely estranged from his own son, William Temple Franklin, who had served as Benjamin Franklin's secretary in Paris. He died in London in November 1813 and was buried at St. Pancras Old Church.

Legacy and historical assessment

Historians view William Franklin as a tragic embodiment of the Revolution's personal and ideological divisions. His life is often contrasted with that of his father, symbolizing the clash between republicanism and monarchism. While earlier American historiography, influenced by writers like Carl Van Doren, often cast him as a villainous foil, modern scholarship offers a more nuanced portrait. Studies by biographers such as Sheila L. Skemp analyze him as a principled imperial administrator whose loyalty to the British constitution was sincere. His governorship and his leadership of the Board of Associated Loyalists underscore the depth of internal conflict during the war, reminding us that the Revolution was also a bitter civil war. His papers are held by institutions including the American Philosophical Society and the Library of Congress.