James Franklin (printer)

James Franklin (February 4, 1697 – February 4, 1735) was an early American printer, publisher and author of newspapers and almanacs in the American colonies. He published the '' New England Courant'', one of the oldest and the first truly independent American newspapers, and the short-lived ''Rhode Island Gazette''.

Early years

Born in Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, in 1697, James was an older brother of Benjamin Franklin and the son of Josiah Franklin, a chandler and businessman from Ecton, Northamptonshire, England, and Abiah Folger, who came from a family of Nantucket Puritans. In addition to James, their children included: John (1690–1756), Peter (1692–1766), Mary (1694–ca. 1730), Sarah (1699–1731), Ebenezer (1701–1702), Thomas (1703–1706), Benjamin (1706–1790), Lydia (1708–1758), and Jane (1712–1794). James had seven other siblings from his father's earlier marriage.

James married Ann Smith, who came from a Puritan family, in 1723, on his 26th birthday. The wedding, in Boston, was performed by the Rev. John Webb of the New North Church. James Franklin was married to Ann Franklin and together that had a son, James Franklin Jr. who took over his father's newspaper, ''The Rhode-Island Gazette'' when his father died. Wroth, 1938, p. 22

Career

James Franklin learned the printer's trade in England, thereafter returning to the American colonies in March 1717, bringing with him his own printing Ramage press and printer's type. Field, 1902, pp. 564, 578 to start in the printing trade, and younger brother, Benjamin, became indentured to him. U.S. History: ''The New-England Courant''

Soon he began publishing in 1719 while working for '' The Boston Gazette''. After being replaced by Samuel Kneeland as its printer he established '' The New-England Courant'' in Boston in 1721 with wife, Ann, and brother, Benjamin, working alongside him. While at the ''Courant'', James gathered a group, referred to by some as "The Hell-Fire Club", for assistance. Rhode-Island Almanack, 1728 In response, Thomas Walter, a Boston preacher, countered by writing a scathing piece entitled, "The Anti- Courant". James, however, saw this as an opportunity to further promote his newspaper and published Walter's editorial piece, with a note that his ''Courant'' would ascribe to a neutral editorial policy.

Franklin, by means of his ''New-England Courant'', boldly criticized Boston's religious orthodoxy on two fronts. First, he introduced the fashions of English literary journalism, commonly referred to as "yellow journalism", to American journalism. To this end he printed humorous and provocative essays with the intention of reforming the towns social mannerisms. This marked the first time Boston was subjected to a competing moral voice that challenged that of the pulpit. Among them was the publication of essays by "Silence Dogood", which, unbeknownst to James, were actually authored by his younger brother, Benjamin Franklin. Secondly, he openly criticized what was assumed to be the dangerous procedure of smallpox inoculation, while some prominent ministers, like Cotton Mather, supported the measure, while most of the citizenry of Boston were fearful of the practice. Fireoved, 1985, p. 214 As such the ''Courant'' was considered very controversial, and James was imprisoned for four weeks in 1722 for writing "scandalous libel". The paper was suppressed in 1727 and James and Ann left Boston in the same year. Mays, 2004, pp. 148-149

At the invitation of James's brother, John, a tallow chandler, James and Ann moved to Newport. Here, they had five children, including Mary, Elizabeth, and James Jr. Here, too, James and Ann established the first printing press in the colony of Rhode Island.

Starting in 1727, James printed and published eight editions of the ''Rhode-Island Almanack'', sometimes under the pseudonym "Poor Robin". They were printed in James' shop near the town schoolhouse, or at his printing-house on Tillinghast's Wharf, near the Union-Flag Tavern. With the assistance of Thomas Fleet, the almanacs were sold as far away as Pudding-Lane in Boston.

On September 27, 1732, James published the first issue of the ''Rhode Island Gazette'', by in size. Its run lasted only until May 24, 1733, and its issues were irregular.

Later years

James was ill while living in Newport, but before his death, his brother Benjamin Franklin came for a visit. When Benjamin left for Philadelphia, he had with him his nephew, James Jr., and provided him with a printing apprenticeship thereafter. After a long illness, James died in Newport in 1735, on his 38th birthday and 12th wedding anniversary. James Franklin was buried in the Newport Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery. He was survived by Ann, leaving her with four young children to support alone, one child having preceded James in death.

Ann continued to operate the printing business until her death in 1763, publishing under the imprint of "The Widow Franklin", and producing books, almanacs, pamphlets, and legal announcements.

See also

* Early American publishers and printers
* List of early American publishers and printers
* Museum of Newport History, where Franklin's printing press is on display

Citations

Bibliography

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Google link
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Further reading

;Newspapers
* —, & Franklin, B. (1721). ''The New-England Courant''. Boston ass. J. Franklin. OCLC 2264838
* (1732). ''The Rhode-Island gazette''. Newport, R.I.: James Franklin. OCLC 2267192

;Almanacs
* (1727). ''The Rhode-Island Almanack. For the year, 1728. Being bissextile, or leap-year. Carefully fitted, and exact- iccalculated to the meridian of Newport on Rhode-Island; whose latitude north is 41 gr. 30 m. longitude from London 72 grs. But may without sensible error, serve all parts of New-England. Being the first ever published for that meridian''. OCLC 70091122
* —, & Fleet, T. (1728). ''The Rhode-Island almanack, for the year, 1729.: ... Carefully fitted, and exactly calculated to the meridian of Newport on Rhode Island; whose latitude north is 41 gr. 30 m. longitude from London, 72 grs. But may without sensible error serve all parts of New-England''.
* (1729). ''The Rhode-Island almanack, for the year, 1730. Being the second year after leap year. Carefully fitted, and exactly calculated to the meridian of Newport on Rhode-Island, whose latitude north is 41 gr. 30 m. longitude from London, 72 grs. But may without sensible error serve all parts of New-England''. OCLC 62819621
* (1730). ''A Perpetual almanack: Shewing, the prime, epact, cycle of the sun, dominical letter, moon's age, high water, day of the month, day of the week, what days of the month all the Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, &c. in any month of any year, fall on, leap year, moon's southing, sun rise, sun set, length of day, length of night, moveable and fixed feasts of the Church of England, and remarkable days for ever, &c''. OCLC 62872886
* (1731). ''The Rhode-Island almanack, for the year, 1732.: ... Fitted to the meridian of Newport, on Rhode-Island, whose latitude north is 41 gr. 30 m. longitude from London, 72 grs''. OCLC 207876015
* —, & Fleet, T. (1732). ''The Rhode-Island almanack for the year, 1733.: ... Fitted to the meridian of Newport, on Rhode-Island, whose latitude north is 41 gr. 30 m. longitude from London, 72 grs''. OCLC 207876063
* —, & Fleet, T. (1733). ''The Rhode-Island almanack for the year, 1734.: ... Fitted to the meridian of Newport, on Rhode-Island, whose latitude north is 41 gr. 30 m. longitude from London, 72 grs''. Newport .I. OCLC 207876120
* (1734). ''The Rhode Island almanack for the year, 1735. ... Fitted to the meridian of Newport, on Rhode-Island, whose latitude north is 41 gr. 30 m. longitude from London, 72 grs''. Newport .I. Printed and sold by J. Franklin, at his printing-house under the town school-house. Sold also by T. Fleet, at the Heart and Crown in Cornhill, Boston. OCLC 62819625

;Printed by James Franklin in Newport, for the colony of Rhode Island, and sold at his shop near the town schoolhouse:
* (1730). ''Acts and laws, of His Majesty's Colony of Rhode-Island, and Providence-Plantations, in America''. OCLC 5808746
* (1730). ''The charter granted by His Majesty King Charles the Second, to the Colony of Rhode Island, and Providence-Plantations, in America''. OCLC 191270379
* (1731). ''Laws, made and pass'd by the General Assembly of His Majesty's colony of Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations, in New-England,: Held at Newport, on the first Wednesday of May, 1730''. OCLC 191270407

;Other works
* (1718). ''Divine examples of God's severe judgments upon Sabbath breakers, in their unlawful sports, Collected out of several divine subjects, viz. Mr. H.B. Mr. Beard, and the Practice of Piety: a fit monument for our present times, etc''. Boston in New-England: Re-printed and sold in Newbury-Street y Bartholomew Green? OCLC 4795117
* (1722). ''Hoop-petticoats arraigned and condemned by the light of nature, and law of God''. Boston: Printed and sold by James Franklin, in Queen-street. OCLC 7198819
* (1726). ''The life and death of Old Father Janus, the vile author of the late wicked Courant A satyr''. Boston: Printed and sold by J. Franklin in Union-Street. OCLC 55831518

External links

The Rhode-Island Almanack for the Year, 1728: Being the First Ever Printed in that Colony ... Reproduced in Exact Facsimile ... with a Brief Account of James Franklin the Printer ...
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, James
1697 births
1735 deaths
American printers
People from colonial Rhode Island
People from colonial Boston
18th-century American newspaper publishers (people)
American male journalists
Franklin family
18th century in Boston
Burials at Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery
Apprentices of Benjamin Franklin
Printers from the Thirteen Colonies