Benjamin Joseph Franklin, 1896-1897

Descriptive

CreatorWilliam BesserBrowse TopicArt and Creative WorksGovernment and PoliticsSubjectGovernors--Arizona--Pictorial worksDescriptionBenjamin Joseph Franklin was probably born in Mason County, Kentucky about 1839. He claimed to be a descendant of the famous Benjamin Franklin. Little is known of his early life. In 1860 he was a lawyer in Leavenworth, Kansas and elected to the Kansas State Senate. Franklin declined to take his seat and instead joined the Confederate Army. After the Civil War, he was a farmer in Missouri. By 1868 restrictions were lifted on former Confederates practicing law and Franklin opened an office in Kansas City. In 1871 he was elected attorney for the 24th Judicial Circuit. Between 1875 and 1879 Franklin served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He was appointed U.S. Consul in Hangchow, China in 1885 and served until 1889. Franklin lived in Los Angeles until moving to Phoenix in 1892. He was admitted to the Arizona Bar in December 1892. Franklin was aware of the movement to remove Governor Hughes from office and wrote several letters to high level officials in Washington, D.C. asking for the appointment. In April 1896 President Grover Cleveland appointed Franklin as Governor of the Territory of Arizona with the hope that he would unify the badly split Democratic Party in the Territory. During his administration he was an enthusiastic proponent of statehood and the Legislature provided for the construction of the Capitol building. Franklin was relieved from office on July 22, 1897 by the newly elected Republican President, William McKinley. After leaving office, Franklin opened a law office in Phoenix with his son, Alfred Franklin. Benjamin Joseph Franklin was married to Ann Barbour, and they had three children: Mary, James, and Alfred. He died on May 19, 1898 in Phoenix, Arizona. Sources for content above: Jay Wagner, Territorial Governors, 1863-1912 (Phoenix, AZ: R. E. McCullar, 1963). John S. Goff, Arizona Territorial Officials, vol. 2, The Governors, 1863-1912 (Cave Creek, AZ: Black Mountain Press, 1975). Date Original1913Date Range1910s (1910-1919)TypeStill ImageOriginal FormatPaintings (visual works)Contributing InstitutionArizona Capitol MuseumCollectionTerritorial Governor Portraits by William BesserRights StatementIn Copyright http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ Copyright and/or publication rights for all images in this collection are retained by this institution. Contact the Arizona Capitol Museum at 602-926-3620 or http://www.azlibrary.gov/museum for further information.

Administrative

Acquisition NoteReference photograph date and creator unknownCall Number1982.018.012|2000.007.006IdentifierFranklin_Portrait.jpgDigital FormatJPEG

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Benjamin Joseph Franklin, 1896-1897

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