Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-12-19

l. tIl4dpS no COlOiii1l BoNCA IOI u
New Jersey is as well remembered
by the casual reader of the history
of the colony as William Franklin,
whose service as the royal ruler of
His Majesty's domain was abruptly
ended by the Revolution. Locally
this may be because there still re-
mains the old governors mansion,
the Westminster OF Kearny avenue,
where Franklin lived when the colo
MES threw off the British yoke. Else
where the fact hat Franklin IS
spoken of most frequently of all who
preceded the Revolution is probably
to be credited to the fact that he
was the son of his illustrious father,
the printer, philosopher, patriot and
statesman who stands out for all
time as a most conspicuous product
OF the new world.
William Franklin was born in
PENNSYLVANIA and was one year ola
when George Washington first saw
the light of day in the Old Dominion.
or his boyhood but little is known
and some details are shrouded IN
such mystery that Paul l.. Fofds
brochure entitled "Who Was BenJa-
min Franklin's Sons ~Mother?' be-
came a very scarce item Immediately
following it's publication a few years
before the authors death. MS
fathers writings tell of the future
governors activity in his youth, Oh
HE interest in military affairs ana
II is a matter of record that ne was
a captain in the armed forces OIL the
keystone State, that was to be- pc
fore he became OF age. me eluer
FRANKLIN writes that the young man
ina gined that his father had plenty
of resources and planned Tor NM
SELF n life of ease. The p~hllosopher
tbereupon declared that he a az
ready determined to spend as ne
went along and leave nothing tor
others, The result was that william
beca me more active and for a time
was the companion and assistant OF
hts Gather in his scientific work ~
So, that association naturally
drifted into public lie.
From 1754 to 1756 he was ooiha.
troller of the general postoihce, In
under the management OF ms us
tinguished father. During that an
period he was sent with the tIoops
hat were assigned to build Iorts oi
the western frontier OF Fenhsy ita
mia. There he was still unoer tne
direction of the printer-phllosopnel,
In 1857 the young mar ccompanl
his father to London, when the iat-
te, went as colonial agent, ana ~
hat way he made friendships Whlcn
undoubtedly were the direct tleans
OF his becoming governor OIL O"e
JERSEYS by royal appointment.
William studied law and the yesr
after his arrival in London was aus
mitted to the bar. He accompanies
his father on a tour of the II
nonta1 countries and was his con-
stant companion. meeting the greal
nan of the lands visited and tormlne
~eriendships which may have hau
much to do a few years later III
shoninr his determination TO con
tnue with the crown, rather than
~ follow his father in taking up the
oonse Of the colonists in their strus-
cIo FOR freedom and independence
When in 1852, oxford made the elu
nv ronkl a Doctor of Laws lu
racoqnition OF his attainments IN tne
sciences of nature. 1t was though'
~nroner to bestow the title of Master
NJ Arts upon the younger.
II was in 1892 that william
Franklin was given a governor
commission and sent back to the
land Of his birth, when not yet thirty
years of age, to rule the neighporlnf
colony of New Jersey. He had peer
enioying the pleasures OF the Ole
world for several years and 1t wa'
with some reluctance that he cams
hack TO take up the duties imposed
nv his appointment. He sailed II
December. 1762, and arrived at tn'
month of the Delaware river NOR
than a month later. A letter M
wrote to william Strahan, the Lon
don publisher, a great friend OF M
father, on the v of his departure
is carefully preserved in his city. |
was on the nineteenth of Februar!
that he reached Philadelphia I'M
fonr DAYS later, as an early enron
lio1er sets 1t down, he started for New
Jersey. on the twenty-fourth n
spent the night at New Brunswick
and the next day arrived In thi
capital city of East Jersey.
/ The pomp and ceremony whici
mark the inauguration of New Jer
sew governors are not of recen
origin and even in that far-on DAY 0
which we write 1t was impossible 10
the recent appointee to reach hi
oficial residence without a demon