William Franklin Was Buried in London in 1813 as Revolution Split 1 Family

Q: Did Benjamin Franklin ever attempt to secretly heal the bitter rift with his exiled son before taking his final breath?

There is no solid evidence that Benjamin Franklin made a secret last-minute effort to reconcile with William before he died. The historical record cited in the reporting points the other way: father and son remained largely estranged after William chose the British Crown and Benjamin backed independence. They are believed to have had only one brief meeting after William’s arrest and before Benjamin Franklin’s death in 1790. Other accounts describe a short 1785 meeting in England, mainly to settle practical family and business matters, not to repair their relationship. Benjamin had earlier tried openly, not secretly, to persuade William to step down as royal governor and avoid arrest. But once William stayed loyal to King George III and later became a leading Loyalist, the break hardened. Benjamin’s private remarks about his son were harsh, and historians say he saw William’s stance as a profound betrayal. William, for his part, later wrote that his father’s “political resentment” had largely extinguished his natural affection. That line suggests William still hoped for warmth, but the available evidence does not show a hidden reconciliation attempt by Benjamin near the end of his life. So the best-supported answer is no: Benjamin Franklin appears not to have secretly healed the rift before his final breath, and the estrangement endured as one of the Revolution’s most painful family divisions.

3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 16

St. Pancras Old Church in London holds William Franklin’s grave, underscoring how Benjamin Franklin’s eldest son died in exile after backing the British Crown during the American Revolution.
1776 marked the family’s rupture: while Ben Franklin joined the Continental Congress, William—New Jersey’s royal governor—was arrested, held until 1778, then led loyalists in British-held New York before sailing to London in 1782.
One-third of colonists remained loyal to King George III at points in the war, historians say, making William Franklin’s story a reminder that the Revolution was also a civil conflict that split families and communities.
250 years later, scholars in the report link that divide to today’s polarized United States, arguing the Revolution’s unresolved arguments over freedom, justice and national identity still shape American life.