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Table of Contents > Colonial America > Lot 63 |
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Browse the Auction in Groups of 25 Lots: |
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Lot Number: 63
Click for a Printable PageSign-in to Bid or Register to Bid Estimate Range: $2,000 - $3,000 |
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William Franklin Wedgwood Blue Jasper Portrait Plaque as New Jersey Royal Governor (and Son of Benjamin Franklin) |
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  Click an Image to Enlarge It |
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William Franklin (c. 1730-1813), Wedgwood Oval Light Blue Jasper Dip Plaque with a High Relief White Porcelain Portrait Medallion as British Colonial New Jersey Royal Governor (and Son of Benjamin Franklin), with his name inscribed in script on the reverse “Govnr. Franklin” with impressed mark “Wedgwood” below, attributed to Flaxman, measuring about 4 1/2" x 3 3/8", Choice Extremely Fine or better. This extremely rare Wedgwood Plaque is in excellent condition and appears sharp in detail and clean for display. This cataloger was able to locate one prior sale of this type sold at Bonhams/Skinner, Jan. 12th, 2008 Lot 2394, which sold then for $3,792. William Franklin (1730-1813), was the 13th, and last of British Colonial New Jersey's Royal Governors. He was the natural born son of Benjamin Franklin, Philadelphia printer and American diplomat, through whose influence William was appointed to the New Jersey Governorship on September 9th, 1762. Ironically, William Franklin was a staunch loyalist, while his father, Benjamin Franklin, was one of the founding fathers of the upcoming revolution. Franklin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 22, 1730, as an illegitimate son to Benjamin. His mother’s identity was never known. He was raised by Benjamin’s common-law wife Deborah Reed and openly acknowledged by his father. As a child, Franklin helped his father write the Poor Richard’s Almanak, assisted with his many science experiments and learned the printing trade. At sixteen, he joined the Provincial troops in King George’s War (1744-1748) and ended his enlistment with the rank of Captain in 1747. In 1759, he sailed to London to study law at Middle Temple. While there, he produced an illegitimate son, William Temple Franklin, and married Elizabeth Downes. Through extensive networking by his father Benjamin Franklin, William Franklin was able to secure the Royal position of Governor of New Jersey and he became its longest-serving Royal Governor.Two years earlier, the Sons of Liberty had thrown 342 chests of Tea into the Boston Harbor. Protests had erupted through the thirteen colonies, and the First Continental Congress has met the previous fall to enact an economic boycott on British Goods. Franklin asked for reconciliation with Britain. The Legislature voted unanimously to support the budding revolution. Ironically, William Franklin was a staunch loyalist, while his father, Benjamin Franklin, was one of the founding fathers of the upcoming revolution. Franklin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 22, 1730, as an illegitimate son to Benjamin. His mother’s identity was never known. He was raised by Benjamin’s common-law wife Deborah Reed and openly acknowledged by his father. As a child, William Franklin helped his father write the Poor Richard’s Almanak, assisted with his many science experiments and learned the printing trade. At sixteen, he joined the provincial troops in King George’s War (1744-1748) and ended his enlistment with the rank of Captain in 1747. In 1759, he sailed to London to study law at Middle Temple. While there, he produced an illegitimate son, William Temple Franklin, and married Elizabeth Downes. Through extensive networking by Benjamin Franklin, Franklin was able to secure the royal position of Governor of New Jersey and became the longest-serving royal governor of the state. His tenure directly correlated to his impressive job as governor: he helped reform roads, construct bridges, and secure crop subsidies from England. In addition, he encouraged the New Jersey legislature to grant a charter for Rutgers University, which has since become the state university of New Jersey. Even though revolution started brewing in the 1770s, Franklin remained as Royal Governor because of his good name and the good name of his father. By 1776, Benjamin Franklin encouraged Franklin to join the revolution. As a veteran of King George’s War, Benjamin argued that he could receive a high-ranked position in the Continental Army and, because of his good work as Governor, he could have a significant political role in the new nation. However, William Franklin refused. He was a devoted member of the Church of England and he believed in Great Britain’s ability to stop the American insurrection. In January 1776, he was placed under house arrest and ousted from his role of royal governor by the Continental Congress. Six months later, he was transported and imprisoned in Wallingford and Middletown, Connecticut. While imprisoned, he continued garnering support for the loyalist cause by sharing information about the Continental Army and creating a network of loyalist Americans. When news of his activity emerged, he was placed in solitary confinement in Litchfield, Connecticut, for eight months. He unsuccessfully asked for a furlough to see his dying wife, which was denied, and she died while he was incarcerated. In 1778, Franklin was released in a prisoner exchange and traveled to British-occupied New York City. Once there, he became the leader of the American Loyalists near and around the city. He began to secure aid for the British Army and American Loyalists and create an unofficial spy network of civilian Loyalists. A supporter of guerilla warfare, he organized the Associated Loyalists that used guerilla tactics to fight Patriots in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. While British commanders were initially hesitant of this type of war, these operations became sanctioned in 1780. However, these efforts did not stop the British defeat at Yorktown in October 1781. The next year, Franklin headed to London with the belief that Great Britain could still win the war. He continued to garner support for the cause until Britain’s eventual surrender with the Treaty of Paris, brokered by Franklin’s father. William Franklin and Benjamin Franklin never reconciled their differences. Benjamin refused compensation or amnesty to Loyalists leaving the colonies during the peace talks in Paris, which directly hurt his own son. In his will, Benjamin left Franklin with several worthless tracts of land in Nova Scotia with the reasoning that if Britain had won the war, he would have had no wealth to leave his son. Franklin attempted to reconcile with his father in 1784 via a letter but received only a chilly reply. They met for the last time in 1785 for a short meeting that regarded financial matters. William Franklin remained in London for the rest of his life and died there in 1813. He was buried in St. Pancras Old Church, but the grave has since been lost. However, it is of interest to note that King George III's Commission Appointing William Franklin as Captain General and Governor in Chief; of New Jersey was discovered and acquired by royal officials in London in 1861, 48 years after Franklin's death. The three-page, ornate parchment was presented in its original case, and with a fragment of the once-attached royal seal, to Governor Charles Olden of New Jersey to be preserved with the State's official archives. The manuscript is presumed to have traveled with Franklin from New Jersey to Connecticut and then New York, and to have accompanied him on his voyage to England in 1782. |
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Keywords: William Franklin, Wedgwood, Porcelain, Medallion, New Jersey, Royal Governor, Colonial, Benjamin Franklin, |
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Lot Number: 63
Click for a Printable Page Sign-in to Bid or Register to Bid |
Estimate Range: $2,000 - $3,000 |
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Early American History Auctions, Inc. 1520 Commerce St., # 312 • Winchester, VA 22601 Phone: 858 • 759 • 3290 Email: Auctions@EarlyAmerican.com |
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