James Franklin (printer)
| James Franklin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 4, 1697 Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Died | February 4, 1735 (aged 38) Newport, Colony of Rhode Island |
| Other names | "Poor Robin" |
| Occupation | Newspaper/Almanac Printer/Publisher |
| Notable credit(s) | Publisher, New England Courant, one of the oldest and the first truly independent American newspaper |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Smith Franklin |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives |
Josiah Franklin Abiah Folger |
James Franklin (February 4, 1697 in Boston – February 4, 1735 in Newport, Rhode Island) was an American colonial author, printer, newspaper publisher, and almanac publisher. James published the New England Courant, one of the oldest and the first truly independent American newspapers.
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 Franklin, 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 (1712–1795). James had seven other siblings from his father's earlier marriage.
In 1717, James returned to Boston from England with a Ramage press and a small quantity of type letters to start in the printing trade, and younger brother, Benjamin, became indentured to him. James married Ann Smith, who came from a Puritan family, in 1723, on his 26th birthday. The ceremony, in Boston, was performed by the Rev. John Webb of the New North Church.
James began publishing the 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, and introduced "yellow journalism" to Boston. The Courant was considered controversial, and James was imprisoned for four weeks in 1722 for writing "scandalous libel". The paper was suppressed in 1727 and they left Boston in the same year.
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