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Famous Like Me > Actor > F > William Franklin

Profile of William Franklin on Famous Like Me

 
Name: William Franklin  
   
Also Know As:
   
Date of Birth: 18th August 1906
   
Place of Birth: Shaw, Mississippi, USA
   
Profession: Actor
 
 
From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
This article is the New Jersey Governor, William Franklin. For the opera singer, see William Franklin (opera).
Portrait of Franklin

William Franklin (1731-1813) was the last Royal Governor of New Jersey. He was born in Philadelphia, the illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin. His mother's identity is unknown: he was raised by his father and Deborah Read. He accompanied his father on several missions, including his trips to England.

He completed his education in England, and was admitted to the bar. He also married Elizabeth Downes on September 4, 1762 and had one illegitimate son, William Temple (mother unknown). When the family returned from England in 1763, he carried a commission from George III to be the Colonial Governor of New Jersey. William Franklin signed the charter for Rutgers College (Queen's College at the time of its founding) which would evolve in to Rutgers University, New Jersey's premier Public Ivy research university.

Owing to his father's pivotal role as a Founding Father of the American Revolution, the relationship between father and son was strained to say the least. In his will, Benjamin Franklin left his son William virtually none of his wealth, stating that had England won the war, the elder Franklin would have had no wealth to leave to his son anyway.

William remained as governor until he was arrested by the rebels in 1776. For two years he was held as a prisoner of war. When finally released, he fled to New York City which was still occupied by the British. He later left with other loyalists for England, and died there in 1813.

The Township of Franklin, New Jersey, site of the Revolutionary War Battle of Middlebush, is named in his honor, rather than for his father.

Preceded by:
Josiah Hardy
Governors of New Jersey Succeeded by:
William Livingston
(the first revolutionary Governor of New Jersey)

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article William Franklin