Ann Smith Franklin

Ann Smith Franklin
Born
Ann Smith

(1696-10-02)October 2, 1696
Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay
DiedApril 16, 1763(1763-04-16) (aged 66)
Newport, Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Other names"Widow Franklin"
OccupationNewspaper/Almanac Printer/Publisher
Notable creditAmerica's first woman newspaper editor
SpouseJames Franklin
Children5

Ann Smith Franklin (October 2, 1696 – April 16, 1763) was an American colonial newspaper printer and publisher. She inherited the business from her husband, James Franklin, brother of Benjamin Franklin.[1] She published the Newport Mercury, printed an almanac series, and printed Rhode Island paper currency. She was the country’s first female newspaper editor,[2] the first woman to write an almanac, and the first woman inducted into the University of Rhode Island's Journalism Hall of Fame.[3][4]

  1. ^ "Children of Josiah Franklin (1657-1745)". ushistory.org. Archived from the original on 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  2. ^ "Famous Rhode Islanders". reed.senate.gov. Archived from the original on 31 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  3. ^ Fleming, Arline A. "Ann Franklin (1696-1763)". projo.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-28. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  4. ^ Mays, Dorothy A. (2004). Women in Early America: Struggle, Survival, and Freedom in a New World. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO. pp. 148–149. ISBN 1-85109-429-6.