America's
Most Disappointed
Father
LL right, men, surround the house
and keep a close watch."
The company of New Jersey militia encircled
the governor's mansion at Amboy while a group
of officers entered. "By authority of the state
assembly, we place you under house arrest!" they
informed the royal governor, William Franklin.
His arrest highlighted the strange situation in
which the American Revolution forever alienated
a famous father from his infamous son. The
father, Benjamin Franklin, risked his all to sup
port America's desire for freedom; the son,
William, worked in behalf of the British. In fact,
on the very day in June, 1776, that the son was
arrested for Red Coat activities, the father was in
Philadelphia helping write the Declaration of
Independence.
Later, Dr. Franklin had still deeper dregs of
disappointment to drink. His son was branded "an
enemy to the liberties of this country" and im
prisoned. But even from jail, William Franklin
managed to send letters "fomenting discord" until
lie was exchanged for an American officer and
returned to England, never again to see the land of
his birth.
In earlier days, the Franklins had enjoyed the
warmth of an ideal father-son relationship. Ben
jamin was a tender father to the baby boy pre
sented him in Philadelphia in 1731. He saw to it
that young Billy had not only plenty of books to
stretch his mind but a pony to exercise his body.
Franklin and his wife, Deborah Read, had two
other children, daughter Sarah and a son, Francis,
who died at four. William was left to carry on the
Franklin line.
When Franklin went to England in 1757 to
argue some tax matters, he took his son along.
"Those English years were indeed a boomerang
to the elder Franklin," observes one historian.
"William's years in the mother country were
eventually to weigh the balance in favor of
England." Franklin entered his son at Middle
Temple, and William was summoned to the British
bar in 1758. During the next four years, while
the father was kept busy as colonial agent, the
1
There were warmth and love
between Benjamin Franklin
and his son until war
made one a patriot, one a Tory
By JERRY KLEIN
ILLUSTRATION IT RICHARD HERDEGEN
son practiced law in London. He made a favorable
impression on some of the king's advisers, and by
the time Benjamin was ready to return to Phila
delphia, his son had received official recognition.
He was named royal governor of New Jersey.
When trouble between the colonies and Britain
mounted, the elder Franklin suddenly was removed
as postmaster general. He appealed to William to
resign his royal appointment, too, but the gover
nor refused. In fact, the younger Franklin actively
tried to undermine the efforts of freedom-minded
colonists by intercepting their letters and passing
them along to friends of his in Britain as "rebel"
documents.
Benjamin visited New Jersey to urge his son to
resign the Crown position, but his efforts proved
to be in vain. "I have lost my son," he said.
The two men had no contact all during the long
War for Independence. Afterward, the son found
himself not an entirely welcome ornament to
English society, while the father was busily ad
vancing American interests in France.
BUT franklin never did invite William to visit
him in Paris. A full year passed before the
obviously wounded father found it "convenient"
to see his son once more, and only because he
would be stopping in England en route home, a
sickly man of 79 now.
A historian says the final meeting of the
Franklins, after almost a decade of separation,
proved"coolly civil ... it is doubtful if deep in his
heart, Benjamin could ever forgive and bridge the
gap now between them." In 1788, the patriot drew
up his will, and within two years he died.
The will cancelled William's indebtedness to his
father and left him some land in Nova Scotia. But
Benjamin Franklin had made the matter clear:
"The part he acted against me in the late war,
which is of public notoriety, will account for my
leaving him no more of an estate he endeavoured
to deprive me of."
The heart of America followed the father sor
rowfully to his grave. The son died in London 23
years later, reviled by many, forgotten by most.
COVER:
Actress Carroll Baker, photographed by
Paul Himmel, appeart in a brilliant tulip
bedecked blouse over citrus-yellow pants,
part of her new designer wardrobe. She
models other spring ensembles on p. H.
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