Benson Franklin (August 15, 1942 – March 22, 2003) was a Canadian teacher and politician who served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of the city of

Nepean, Ontario Nepean ( ) is an area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Located west of Ottawa's inner core, it was an independent city until amalgamated with the Regional Municipality of Ottawa–Carleton in 2001 to become the new city of Ottawa. However, the name ...

from 1978 to 1997.

Early life

Franklin was born in Elgin, Ontario on August 15, 1942, one of three children. Franklin's mother was a school teacher and his father worked at a cheese factory before serving in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The factory closed by the time his father returned and the family moved to

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, living in the downtown area before moving to the west end. His father found work as a taxi driver and, later, became manager of the Red Line taxi fleet at the Ottawa Airport. As a teenager, Franklin attended Glebe Collegiate and, later, Laurentian High School. He studied at

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to se ...

and Ottawa Teacher's College. He worked for the Ottawa Board of Education as a geography teacher – at both the elementary and high school level – from 1964 to 1978. He married Sherrell Willman and the couple had two children.

Political career

Franklin was first elected to the Nepean council in 1972 and he took office in January 1973. He continued working at as a teacher, as the council position was a part-time job. In 1975, he ran unsuccessfully as the Liberal candidate in the riding of Carleton in the Ontario general election. Franklin was first elected mayor in the 1978 municipal election, defeating fellow councillor Robert C. Mitchell. Franklin was Nepean's second mayor following Andrew Haydon, who had held the position for the six days following Nepean's incorporation. As mayor, Franklin established a "pay as you go" policy which brought the city out of debt. He retired in 1997 due to health problems. His executive assistant, Mary Pitt, succeeded him as mayor of Nepean after running a campaign that promised to continue Franklin's vision. Nepean became part of the city of

in 2001.

Later life

Franklin received an

artificial heart An artificial heart is a artificial organ, device that replaces the human heart, heart. Artificial hearts are typically used as a bridge to heart transplantation, but ongoing research aims to develop a device that could permanently replace the ...

in March 2003 but died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

later that month at the age of 60.

Awards and recognition

Ben Franklin Place Ben Franklin Place is a building complex in the Centrepointe area of Ottawa which houses the Centrepointe Branch of the Ottawa Public Library, the Centrepointe Theatre, and a satellite office for the City of Ottawa. It also includes an outdoor s ...

Centrepointe Centrepointe is a neighbourhood in College Ward in the urban west end of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was formerly part of the city of Nepean. It is a residential subdivision in the west/central part of Ottawa, developed from 1984 o ...

was named after Franklin. In 2001, he was the first person to be given an honorary key to the new city of Ottawa.

Electoral record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Ben 1942 births 2003 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario Mayors and reeves of Nepean Carleton University alumni Canadian schoolteachers Ottawa-Carleton regional councillors Ontario Liberal Party candidates in Ontario provincial elections