William Franklin (ca. 1731 - November 1813) was an American soldier, attorney, and colonial administrator, the acknowledged illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin. He was appointed as the last Colonial Governor of New Jersey (1763-1776). Franklin was a steadfast Loyalist throughout the American War of Independence. As his father was one of the most prominent Patriots and a Founding Father of the United States, their differences caused an irreconcilable break between them.
Following imprisonment during the war, in 1782 the younger Franklin went into exile in Britain. He lived in London until his death.
Read more about William Franklin: Early Life, Military Service, Marriage and Family, Career, Exile, Legacy and Honors
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“Now William pulled the lever down,
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William was the only printer in town
Who had peeped while the angels undress.”
—Allen Tate (1899–1979)
“Furnished as all Europe now is with Academies of Science, with nice instruments and the spirit of experiment, the progress of human knowledge will be rapid and discoveries made of which we have at present no conception. I begin to be almost sorry I was born so soon, since I cannot have the happiness of knowing what will be known a hundred years hence.”
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)