Franklin Township is a township in

Somerset County, New Jersey Somerset County is a county located in the north-central part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was 345,361, an increase of 21,917 (6.8%) from the 323,444 counted at the 2010 U.S Cen ...

, United States. It is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, the township's population was 62,300,DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 16, 2011. reflecting an increase of 11,397 (+22.4%) from the 50,903 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 8,123 (+19.0%) from the 42,780 counted in the 1990 Census. Traditionally a farming community, it has become a fast-growing suburb with massive development in the later 20th and 21st centuries as a diverse blend of races, religions, and cultures. In 2008, Franklin Township ranked #5 on '' Money'' magazine's list of America's Top 100 Best Places to Live. What is now Franklin Township was originally formed circa 1745 as Eastern precinct. Franklin Township was incorporated on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by an act of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the ...

. Portions of the township were taken to form

South Bound Brook South Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,563,East Millstone (February 18, 1873, returned to Franklin Township on December 31, 1949).Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 223. Accessed October 28, 2012.

History

It has been unclear if the township was named for founding father Benjamin Franklin or for his illegitimate son William Franklin, a

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

and the last

Royal Governor of New Jersey The territory which would later become the state of New Jersey was settled by Dutch and Swedish colonists in the early seventeenth century. In 1664, at the onset of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, English forces under Richard Nicolls ousted the Du ...

(from 1763 to 1776). In 2000, after considering the evidence set forth by

William B. Brahms William Bernard Brahms (born October 1, 1966) is an American librarian, encyclopedist, author and historian best known for his encyclopedic works on historical "lasts" (as opposed to "firsts"), in particular, the reference works ''Notable Last Fa ...

in his books ''Images of America: Franklin Township'' (1997) and ''Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History'', and ''The Case for William Franklin and The Case for Benjamin Franklin'', the Township Council chose the theory that the township was indeed named for Benjamin Franklin. Franklin Township was very much a part of Revolutionary War history and the scene of many raiding parties along Route 27, then known as the King's Highway. Two British generals, Cornwallis and DeHeister, tried to lure General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

and his

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

into battle on the plains of Middlebush and East Millstone. Washington, however, kept his troops at Chimney Rock, just north of Franklin, until the British withdrew. Several of the prosperous Middlebush farms were destroyed by the British soldiers during their retreat. In 1777, near the mill on the Millstone River at Weston, the Continental Army and local militia engaged and successfully drove off a British foraging party of about 600 troops, sent out of New Brunswick by General Cornwallis. On November 2, 1783, Washington composed his farewell address to the army while staying at Rockingham near Rocky Hill. The construction of the Delaware and Raritan Canal in the 1830s, stretching to connect New York City and Philadelphia, led to significant growth in the township, with as much as 200,000 tons of goods shipped on barges using the canal by the 1860s. The rise of shipping commercial goods using railroads led to a substantial decline in canal traffic.History
Township of Franklin. Accessed March 31, 2020. The area has been restored as the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park The

Van Wickle House The Van Wickle House, also known as the Symen Van Wickle House, is a historical house located at 1289 Easton Avenue in the Somerset section of Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It was built in 1722 by Symen Van Wic ...

, located next to the Delaware and Raritan Canal in the Somerset section of the township, in between New Brunswick and

South Bound Brook South Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,563,Dutch settlers and is now owned by Franklin Township and leased by the Meadows Foundation. Set back behind Easton Avenue, the home adjoins the

Rutgers Preparatory School Rutgers Preparatory School (also known as Rutgers Prep or RPS) is a private, coeducational, college preparatory day school established in 1766. The school educates students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, located on a campus along ...

and a Revolutionary War-era graveyard.Van Wickle House 1722
Meadows Foundation. Accessed March 31, 2020. Passenger and freight railroad service was available in Franklin Township during the later half of the 19th century via the

Millstone and New Brunswick Railroad The Millstone and New Brunswick Railroad (M&NB) was chartered in the mid-19th century as a seven-mile long branch line from New Brunswick, New Jersey to East Millstone, New Jersey. Construction was completed and the line began operation on December ...

(M&NB) which opened in 1854. The railroad was built and operated by the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

(PRR), from a junction with the PRR mainline at Jersey Avenue in New Brunswick to East Millstone. The M&NB is now known as the

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...

Millstone Secondary Branch. The branch line was still operated by Conrail up to just west of Clyde Road in Somerset for a time, serving local industry in the industrial section of Somerset.As of 2011, Hermann Warehouse Corp re-located out of the Clyde Road facility and there has not been rail service into that building since then. A bumper was placed east of the Somerset Road/Route 27 crossing, with Clyde Road, Veronica Avenue and Route 27 crossings currently out of service. Jersey Avenue/Route 91 remains the sole active crossing on the line. In 1922, the infamous Hall-Mills Murder took place in Franklin Township, in the area adjacent to New Brunswick known as Somerset.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 46.88 square miles (121.43 km²), including 46.17 square miles (119.58 km²) of land and 0.71 square miles (1.85 km²) of water (1.52%). The community is approximately 75% rural.Cheslow, Jerry
"If You're Thinking of Living In Franklin Township, N.J.; A Town Acting to Preserve Its Farmland"
'' The New York Times'', November 15, 1998. Accessed August 23, 2012. "The 47-square-mile community, which is still three-fourths rural, is coming under increasing development pressure, according to Mayor Bottcher." The township borders the municipalities of Bridgewater Township, Hillsborough Township, Manville,

Millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, for grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a convex stationary base known as the ''bedstone'' and ...

, Montgomery Township, Rocky Hill and

South Bound Brook South Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,563,Princeton in Mercer County; New Brunswick,

North Brunswick North Brunswick is a Township (New Jersey), township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It is centrally located in the Raritan River, Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. At the ...

, Piscataway and South Brunswick in Middlesex County.

Communities

The following are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within Franklin Township:New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32)
United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed February 12, 2013. * Blackwells Mills (2010 CDP population of 803) * Clyde (2010 CDP population of 213) * East Franklin (2010 CDP population of 8,669) * East Millstone (2010 CDP population of 579) * East Rocky Hill (2010 CDP population of 469) * Franklin Center (2010 CDP population of 4,460) * Franklin Park (2010 CDP population of 13,295) * Griggstown (2010 CDP population of 819) *

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

– officially designated as a

Village Center A town centre is the commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town. Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train or bus st ...

by the

New Jersey State Planning Commission The New Jersey State Planning Commission is responsible for oversight of planning issues affecting the U.S. state of New Jersey. The Commission consists of 17 members representing State government, local government and the public. Local government ...

. The

Kingston Village Advisory Committee Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames ...

, jointly appointed by the Councils of Franklin and South Brunswick townships, advises Franklin on matters of concern to

's residents. (2010 CDP population of 271 for portion of Kingston in Franklin Township) * Middlebush (2010 CDP population of 2,326) * Pleasant Plains (2010 CDP population of 922) * Six Mile Run (2010 CDP population of 3,184) * Somerset (2010 CDP population of 22,083) * Ten Mile Run (2010 CDP population of 1,959) * Voorhees CDP (2010 CDP population of 976) * Weston (2010 CDP population of 1,235) *

Zarephath Zarephath may refer to the following : ; Places * Alternative name for Ancient Phoenician city Sarepta, now Sarafand, Lebanon * Zarephath, New Jersey in the United States ;Other * Raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath * Zarephath Wines ...

, religious community in western part of the township, centered around the Pillar of Fire Church (2010 CDP population of 37) Other unincorporated communities, localities, and place names located partially or completely within the township include Hamilton Park and Rockingham.

Ecology

According to the

A. W. Kuchler August William Kuchler (born ''August Wilhelm Küchler''; 1907–1999) was a German-born American geographer and naturalist who is noted for developing a plant association system in widespread use in the United States. Some of this database has beco ...

U.S.

potential natural vegetation In ecology, potential natural vegetation (PNV), also known as Kuchler potential vegetation, is the vegetation that would be expected given environmental constraints (climate, geomorphology, geology) without human intervention or a hazard event ...

types, Franklin Township, New Jersey would have an Appalachian Oak (''104'') vegetation type with an Eastern

Hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

Forest (''25'') vegetation form.U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)
Data Basin. Accessed November 5, 2020.

Demographics

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

showed that (in 2010

inflation-adjusted In economics, nominal value is measured in terms of money, whereas real value is measured against goods or services. A real value is one which has been adjusted for inflation, enabling comparison of quantities as if the prices of goods had not c ...

dollars) median household income was $89,992 (with a margin of error of +/− $2,918) and the median family income was $103,060 (+/− $3,429). Males had a median income of $66,178 (+/− $2,448) versus $54,733 (+/− $2,427) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $40,036 (+/− $1,203). About 3.2% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

there were 50,903 people, 19,355 households, and 12,987 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,088.3 people per square mile (420.2/km²). There were 19,789 housing units at an average density of 423.1 per square mile (163.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 55.11% White, 25.98% African American, 0.18% Native American, 12.74%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.56% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 8.11% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Franklin Township, New Jersey
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed October 31, 2016.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 23, 2012. There were 19,355 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.14. In the township, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median income for a household in the township was $67,923, and the median income for a family was $78,177. Males had a median income of $52,351 versus $41,101 for females. The per capita income for the township was $31,209. About 3.1% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Parks in the township include: *The William L. Hutcheson Memorial Forest is a natural preserve administered by Rutgers University that includes a virgin

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

designated a National Natural Landmark, and is located at 2150 Amwell Road ( Route 514) about east of East Millstone. * Colonial Park, part of the Somerset County Park System, is a facility located in the western portion of Franklin Township near East Millstone with entrances off Mettlers Lane and Elizabeth Avenue. The park offers many recreational activities, including picnicking, hiking, biking, fishing, paddle boating, golf, and tennis. It features a Arboretum, "a living tree museum" that provides a wide range of examples of trees and shrubs that grow well in the Central Jersey environment. The park also offers a leash-free dog area, a fitness parcourse, paddleboat rentals, an 18-hole putting course, the 18 hole championship Spooky Brook Golf Course, 3 stocked fishing ponds, softball fields, a tennis center, playground, nature trail, a Perennial Garden, the Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden, an accredited All-America Rose Selections (AARS) display garden, and the Fragrance and Sensory Garden, designed to be of special interest to visitors who are visually or physically impaired. *A portion of the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park runs for along much of the northern and western borders of Franklin Township eventually making its way as far south as Trenton with a feeder canal following the Delaware River north for another to Bull's Island near Frenchtown. The canal and adjacent tow path offer many recreational activities, from hiking and biking to fishing and boating. Access points with parking can be found near most road crossings of the canal, via bridges at Colonial Park (see above) and the

(see below) in Franklin Township as well as at many of the locks on the canal. *The John W. Flemer Preserve is a preserve adjacent to the Delaware and Raritan Canal in

that features a trail on the east bank of the Canal that offers a connection to the tow path on the west side of the Canal for a round trip hike. *The Negri-Nepote Native Grassland Preserve is a preserve located between Bennets Lane and Skillmans Lane in the Somerset section that features of grassland, forest, and scrubland and a wetland attracting migratory birds and amphibians with over of pedestrian trails, bird boxes and interpretive signage. * Six Mile Run Reservoir Site, part of the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, is located in the central portion of Franklin Township. The park consists of land that was set aside in c. 1970 for water resource needs that still remains largely undeveloped and that offers numerous multi-use recreational trails. Access is provided via the former D&R Canal Main Office parking area off Canal Road just south of Blackwells Mills Road. *Ten Mile Run Greenway is a greenway over in length running between Canal Road south of Bunker Hill Road in Griggstown and S. Middlebush Road near Old Vliet Road in Franklin Park. It runs along the Ten Mile Run. It features four sections including: **Bunker Hill Natural Area, accessed from the north side of Bunker Hill Road near the intersection of Route 27, features trails through mature forest and meadows and along Ten Mile Run stream. Trails connect to the Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve and the Catalpa Farm areas. **Catalpa Farm, on Old Vliet Road, offers trails along field edges and a small forest that connect to the Bunker Hill Natural Area. **Environmental Education Center, 255 Bunker Hill Road (parking is available at 287 Bunker Hill Road), is a area that features a deciduous forest known as Graeber Woods, a one-mile (1.6 km) self-guided nature trail, the "Glass House", a home that has been renovated and is now used as a classroom and conference center to provide a wide range of instructional, hands-on activities in natural habitats, and a 20' climbing tower and a high ropes course adventure area. The Environmental Education Center is a cooperative effort of the Township of Franklin, the Franklin Township Board of Education, and the Green Acres Program. A trail connect to the Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve and the rest of the Ten Mile Run Greenway. **Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve accessed from Canal Road in Griggstown (1091 Canal Road) has over of grassland and hundreds of acres of forest and features over of mapped trails. Trails connect to the other sections of the Ten Mile Run Greenway.

Government

Local government

The Township of Franklin is chartered under the

Faulkner Act The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act (, et seq.) provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H. Faulkner, former mayor ...

, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, within the Council-Manager, Plan D.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 81. The township is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The Township Council is comprised of nine members. The Mayor is elected directly from the township

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

. The Township Council is comprised of one member from each of the five

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

and three elected from the township at-large. The Mayor is the Chief Legislative Officer of the township and is elected by the voters to serve for a four-year term. The Township Manager is the Chief Executive Officer overseeing the township's daily operations and is hired by and serves at the pleasure of the Township Council. Councilmembers are chosen for a four-year term in partisan elections held at the June Primary and November General Elections in odd-numbered years, with the five ward seats coming up for election together and the mayoral and at-large seats up for election two years later. , the Mayor of Franklin Township is

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Phillip Kramer, whose term of office ends December 31, 2023. Members of the Township Council are

Deputy Mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments. Duties and functions Many elected dep ...

Crystal Pruitt (D; At-Large, 2023), Sivaraman Anbarasan (D; At-Large, 2023), Kimberly Francois (D; At-Large, 2023), Charles Onyejiaka (D; 3rd Ward, 2025), Ed Potosnak (D; 1st Ward, 2025), Shepa Uddin (D; 2nd Ward, 2025), James Vassanella (D; 5th Ward, 2025) and Carl R.A. Wright (D; 4th Ward, 2025).Council Members
Township of Franklin. Accessed June 6, 2022.''2021 Directory of County & Municipal Offices''

. Accessed May 1, 2022.2021 General Election Winning Candidates

. Accessed January 1, 2022.Somerset County General Election November 3, 2020 Final Certified Results

, dated December 3, 2020. Accessed January 19, 2021.General Election November 5, 2019 Final Results

, updated November 15, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020. In the November 2015 general election, Phillip Kramer became the first Democrat directly elected as Mayor in the township's history, resulting in the Mayor and entire council being from the Democratic Party. This marked a transition that started in 1995, when the council was controlled 8 to 1 by the Republican Party. In January 2016, the Township Council selected Charles Onyejiaka from a list of three candidates nominated by the Democratic municipal committee to fill the Third Ward seat expiring in December 2017 that was vacated by Philip Kramer when he took office as mayor; Onyejiaka will serve on an interim basis until the November 2016 general election, when voters will select a candidate to fill the one-year balance of the term of office. In January 2015, the Township Council chose Chris Kelly from among three candidates offered by the Republican municipal committee to fill the vacant seat of Brian D. Levine, who had resigned from his council seat to take office on the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders. In 1998, the township approved a referendum by a better than 2–1 margin to raise property taxes by 3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, with the money to be used to preserve open space.

Federal, state and county representation

Franklin Township is located in the 12th Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report
New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 17th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District

New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing artistic, cultural, and historical programs within the U.S. state of New Jersey, as we ...

. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. Accessed October 30, 2019. Prior to the 2010 Census, Franklin Township had been split between the and the 12th Congressional District, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.''2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
, p. 57, New Jersey

. Accessed May 22, 2015. Somerset County is governed by a five-member

Board of County Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

, whose members are elected

to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting held on the first Friday of January, the board selects a Director and Deputy Director from among its members. , Somerset County's County Commissioners are Director Shanel Robinson ( D, Franklin Township, term as commissioner ends December 31, 2024; term as director ends 2022), Deputy Director Melonie Marano (D, Green Brook Township, term as commissioner and as deputy director ends 2022), Paul Drake (D, Hillsborough Township, 2023), Douglas Singleterry (D, North Plainfield, 2023) and Sara Sooy (D, Basking Ridge in Bernards Township, 2024).''2021 Directory of County & Municipal Offices''

. Accessed May 1, 2022.2021 General Election Winning Candidates

. Accessed January 1, 2022.Somerset County General Election November 3, 2020 Final Certified Results

, dated December 3, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.General Election November 5, 2019 Final Results

, updated November 15, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020. Pursuant to Article VII Section II of the

New Jersey State Constitution The Constitution of the State of New Jersey is the basic governing document of the State of New Jersey. In addition to three British Royal Charters issued for East Jersey, West Jersey and united New Jersey while they were still colonies, the sta ...

, each county in New Jersey is required to have three elected administrative officials known as constitutional officers. These officers are the

County Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

and County Surrogate (both elected for five-year terms of office) and the County Sheriff (elected for a three-year term). Constitutional officers, elected on a countywide basis are County Clerk Steve Peter ( D,

Somerville Somerville may refer to: *Somerville College, Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford Places *Somerville, Victoria, Australia * Somerville, Western Australia, a suburb of Kalgoorlie, Australia * Somerville, New Zealand, a subur ...

, 2022), Sheriff Darrin Russo (D, Franklin Township, 2022) and Surrogate Bernice "Tina" Jalloh (D, Franklin Township, 2025)

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 36,240 registered voters in Franklin Township, of which 13,993 (38.6% vs. 26.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 4,962 (13.7% vs. 25.7%) were registered as

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and 17,262 (47.6% vs. 48.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 23 voters registered to the Libertarian Party or other parties.Voter Registration Summary - Somerset

Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed February 12, 2013. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 58.2% (vs. 60.4% in Somerset County) were registered to vote, including 74.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.4% countywide). In the

2012 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: E ...

, Democrat Barack Obama received 71.2% of the vote (19,611 cast), ahead of Republican

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

with 27.7% (7,640 votes), and other candidates with 1.0% (288 votes), among the 27,718 ballots cast by the township's 39,291 registered voters (179 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 70.5%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 19,442 votes (70.0% vs. 52.1% countywide), ahead of Republican

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

with 7,951 votes (28.6% vs. 46.1%) and other candidates with 246 votes (0.9% vs. 1.1%), among the 27,776 ballots cast by the township's 35,508 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.2% (vs. 78.7% in Somerset County). In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 14,737 votes (64.2% vs. 47.2% countywide), ahead of Republican

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

with 7,913 votes (34.5% vs. 51.5%) and other candidates with 211 votes (0.9% vs. 0.9%), among the 22,962 ballots cast by the township's 28,743 registered voters, for a turnout of 79.9% (vs. 81.7% in the whole county). In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 51.7% of the vote (8,178 cast), ahead of Democrat

Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...

with 46.9% (7,420 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (209 votes), among the 16,108 ballots cast by the township's 40,155 registered voters (301 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 40.1%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 9,369 ballots cast (53.0% vs. 34.1% countywide), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 6,842 votes (38.7% vs. 55.8%), Independent

Chris Daggett Christopher Jarvis Daggett (born March 7, 1950) is an American businessman who is the president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, one of the largest foundations in New Jersey. A former regional administrator of the United States En ...

with 1,180 votes (6.7% vs. 8.7%) and other candidates with 137 votes (0.8% vs. 0.7%), among the 17,679 ballots cast by the township's 36,033 registered voters, yielding a 49.1% turnout (vs. 52.5% in the county).

Points of interest

*The Blackwells Mills Canal House, located at Blackwells Mills Road and Canal Road (598 Canal Road, Somerset) on the Delaware and Raritan Canal, was built , at the same time as the canal. It was constructed to house the bridge tender, who would open the swing bridge when canal boats came through, then close it to allow traffic to cross over the canal. The building is leased from the State and is maintained and operated by the Blackwells Mills Canal House Association in conjunction with the Meadows Foundation. *The Franklin Inn, at 2371 Amwell Road ( Route 514), East Millstone, NJ a farmhouse built by Cornelius Van Liew, it has also been known as Annie Van Liew's House and, after being remodeled into a tavern and inn, the Franklin House Hotel. *The Hageman Farm, at 209 South Middlebush Road, is a historic farm. Owned by Franklin Township, the farm is under the stewardship of the Meadows Foundation. * Rockingham State Historic Site, near

on CR 603 (Somerset County), adjacent to the Delaware and Raritan Canal.

wrote his Farewell Address to the Revolutionary Army while staying here in the fall of 1783. *Spieden & Hoebel Farms, Little Valley Natural Area is a area at 1327 and 1345 Canal Road with several miles of trails through forest and along field edges. Across Canal Road is access to the Delaware and Raritan Canal tow path and the Millstone River and flood plain. * Tulipwood, at 1165 Hamilton Street, is a designed by J. August Lienau, the son of Detlef Lienau for his brother-in-law Stephen Guion Williams whose family owned the

Williams & Guion Black Star Line The Black Star Line was the name used by American sailing packets owned by the New York firm of Williams and Guion from 1848 to 1866. The line owned 18 ships on the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route. The line was shut down in 1863 because of t ...

. The home is owned by Franklin Township. *The Ukrainian Cultural Center at 135 Davidson Avenue, serves as the headquarters of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA and includes the following at the site (some open by appointment only): **St. Sophia Seminary and Library, founded in 1975 **St. Andrew Memorial Church, completed and consecrated in 1967 in memory of the 7-14 million people who died in the Ukrainian famine of 1932-33 is a unique example of Ukrainian Cossack Baroque architecture in the area **St. Andrew Cemetery, founded in 1952 **The Ukrainian Historical and Educational Center, founded in 1972, which contains treasures of Ukrainian cultural, historical, social, religious, literary and political life including Easter eggs, lacework, hand embroidery, statuary and church vessels. **The Ukrainian Cultural Center, dedicated in 1985 **St. Andrew Ukrainian School, founded in 1962 and located in the Cultural Center **St. Andrew Bookstore and Ecclesiastical Supply, founded in 1992 *The historic Fisher Homestead, built in 1688, the home of Hendrick Fisher, New Jersey's delegate to the Continental Congress, and the site of the Fisher Family Cemetery. *The Van Liew-Suydam House, at 280 South Middlebush Road, was built in the 18th century by Peter Van Liew. Joseph Suydam later built the part of the house that is visible today. The newest and largest portion of the house was built in 1875. Although the most recent long term owner of the house was named French, the house has been named after its two initial owners. Owned by Franklin Township, the farm is under the stewardship of the Meadows Foundation. *The

, at 1289 Easton Avenue is a historic house built by Symen Van Wickle. Operated by the Meadows Foundation which holds special annual events here. *The

Wyckoff-Garretson House The Wyckoff-Garretson House is a historic house located at 215 South Middlebush Road, Somerset, New Jersey, which was built in 1730 by Cornelius Wyckoff. It is a contributing property of the Six Mile Run Historic District, added to the National ...

, at 215 South Middlebush Road, was built in 1730 by Cornelius Wyckoff. The house was restored by the Meadows Foundation under the direction of architect

Mark Alan Hewitt Mark Alan Hewitt (born March 31, 1953) is an American architect, preservationist and architectural historian, known for his work on architectural history and the history of architectural drawing "as a medium of thought." Biography Born in Berwyn ...

Education

The Franklin Township Public Schools serve students in

pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called Pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

through twelfth grade. As of the 2018–2019 school year, the district, comprised of 10 schools, had an enrollment of 7,150 students and 703.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 10.2:1.District information for Franklin Township Public Schools

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed April 1, 2020. Schools in the district (with 2018–2019 enrollment data from the

) are Claremont Elementary School (665 students; in grades Pre-K–5), Conerly Road School (400; Pre-K–5), Elizabeth Avenue School (493; Pre-K–5), Franklin Park School (664; Pre-K–5), Hillcrest School (436; Pre-K–5), MacAfee Road School (381; Pre-K–5), Pine Grove Manor School (331; Pre-K–5), Franklin Middle School at Hamilton Street Campus (706; 6–8), Franklin Middle School at Sampson G. Smith Campus (797; 6–8) and Franklin High School (2,146; 9–12).

Central Jersey College Prep Charter School Central Jersey College Prep Charter School is a comprehensive public charter elementary / middle / high school that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, located in the Somerset section of Franklin Township, in Somerset Cou ...

is a comprehensive public

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

middle school / high school serving students in grades 6–12 that aims to prepare all graduates for admission to a four-year university. In 2016, the school was one of ten schools in New Jersey, and the only charter school, recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education. As of the 2018–2019 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 820 students and 73.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

of 11.2:1.

, a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

day school founded in 1766, is located in Franklin Township and occupies a 35-acre campus between Easton Avenue and the Raritan River. The state's oldest independent school, RPS moved to Franklin Township in 1957. Saint Matthias School is a parochial elementary school founded in 1962 that serves students in preschool through

eighth grade Eighth grade (or grade eight in some regions) is the eighth post-kindergarten year of formal education in the US. The eighth grade is the ninth school year, the second, third, fourth, or final year of middle school, or the second and/or final ye ...

and operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. Cedar Hill Preparatory School, a Pre-K–8 school founded in 2003 as Oakcrest Academy, was one of eight private schools recognized in 2017 by the

National Blue Ribbon Schools Program The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

as an Exemplary High Performing School by the United States Department of Education.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Somerset County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Interstate 287 is the most significant highway within the township. It runs through the northern part of the township with two interchanges. Route 27 runs along the border between New Brunswick, and the townships of South Brunswick and

. Some of the major county routes that are in the township are CR 514, CR 518 and CR 527. The

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not consi ...

(

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

) passes outside the township in both neighboring South Brunswick and New Brunswick, but the closest interchanges are two towns away in

Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These invention ...

(Exit 10), East Brunswick Township (Exit 9) and Monroe Township (Exit 8A). Franklin Township was to house the northern end of the

Somerset Freeway Interstate 95 (I-95) is a major Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway that traverses nearly the full extent of the East Coast of the United States, East Coast of the United States, from Florida to Maine. In the state of New Jersey, it r ...

at I-287 back in 1964 until it was later proposed to end in Piscataway. An additional spur, Interstate 695, was also proposed as part of the project. This road was to complete Interstate 95 at the proposed southern end in Hopewell Township at I-95 and I-295. However the entire project was ultimately cancelled in 1982.

Public transportation

Somerset County offers DASH routes 851 and 852, providing service to Franklin Township from Bound Brook, New Brunswick and

. Additionally, the CAT 1R provides service to Raritan Valley Community College, passing through Bound Brook,

, and Raritan. Commuter bus service to

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...

is offered by commuter transportation company

OurBus OurBus Inc. is is a broker for motor carriers of passengers, and arranges for the transportation of passengers. The company offers intercity and commuter bus routes serving cities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virgini ...

, during peak hours, with service at Kendall Park to and from New York City.

Utilities

Gas and electricity are provided by

PSE&G The Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) is a publicly traded diversified energy company headquartered in Newark, New Jersey and was established in 1985 with a legacy dating back to 1903. The company's largest subsidiary is Public Service Elect ...

. Water comes from the Delaware and Raritan Canal from water bought from American Water and neighboring

and New Brunswick in Middlesex County. In 2011, the township considered privatizing the system and awarding the contract to United Water. Sewerage service is provided by the Township of Franklin Sewerage Authority.

Emergency services

;Fire companies Franklin Township is served by 10 all-volunteer Fire Departments in four fire districts. * Community Fire Company / Station 25 (District 3) * Elizabeth Ave. Fire Company / Station 26 (District 1) * East Franklin Fire Department / Station 27 (District 3) * Middlebush Fire Department / Station 44 (District 1) * Millstone Valley Fire Company / Station 28 (District 1) * Franklin Park Fire Department / Station 31 (District 2) * Griggstown Fire Company / Station 35 (District 2) * Kingston Fire Company / Station 39 (District 4) * Little Rocky Hill Fire Company / Station 41 (District 2) * Somerset Fire & Rescue Company #1 / Station 56 (District 1) ;First aid squads Franklin Township is served by four volunteer First Aid and Rescue Squads and one hospital-based EMS provider *East Millstone First Aid Squad / Station 52 *Franklin Somerset First Aid Squad / Station 71 (Permanently closed) *Rocky Hill First Aid & Rescue Squad / Station 53 *Kendall Park First Aid & Rescue Squad *Kingston First Aid & Rescue Squad / Station 72 *Robert Wood Johnson EMS (Paid EMS through Municipal Contract)

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Franklin Township include: *

Carlton Agudosi Carlton Agudosi (born February 1, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and played college footb ...

(born 1994), wide receiver for the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

of the NFL *

Anthony Bartholomay Anthony Francis Bartholomay (1919–1975) was a mathematician who introduced molecular set theory, a topic on which he wrote books. Life Bartholomay was born on August 11, 1919. He would receive degrees from Hamilton College, Syracuse University, a ...

(1919–1975), mathematician who introduced

molecular set theory Mathematical and theoretical biology, or biomathematics, is a branch of biology which employs theoretical analysis, mathematical models and abstractions of the Organism, living organisms to investigate the principles that govern the structure, dev ...

* Avery Brooks (born 1948), actor who portrayed Captain Sisko in ''

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...

'', Hawk on '' Spenser: For Hire'' and ''

A Man Called Hawk ''A Man Called Hawk'' is an American action drama series, starring Avery Brooks, that ran on ABC from January 28 to May 13, 1989. The series is a spin-off of the crime drama series '' Spenser: For Hire'', and features the character Hawk, who ...

'', as well as film and theatre *

Clifford P. Case Clifford Philip Case Jr. (April 16, 1904March 5, 1982), was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Representative (1945–1953) and a U.S. Senator (1955–1979) from New Jersey. He is currently ...

(1904–1982), politician who served in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate *

Upendra J. Chivukula Upendra Chivukula (born October 8, 1950) is a Democratic politician who currently serves as a Commissioner on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities after serving more than 12 years in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he had been the De ...

(born 1950),

New Jersey Board of Public Utilities The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) is a regulatory authority in New Jersey "with authority to oversee the regulated utilities, which in turn provide critical services such as natural gas, electricity, water, telecommunications and ca ...

commissioner who represented the 17th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly, and had served on the Franklin Township Council since 1997, serving as its Mayor in 2000 and its Deputy Mayor in 1998 *

Joseph Danielsen Joseph Danielsen is an American Democratic Party politician, who represents the 17th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he has served since October 16, 2014, after being appointed to fill the vacant seat of Upendra J. ...

, member of the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 17th Legislative District since October 2014, after being appointed to fill the vacant seat of Upendra J. Chivukula * Charles Leavitt Edgar (1860–1932), mechanical engineer working in the area of central power stations noted for several firsts, president of Boston Edison (1900) and National Electric Light Association *

Margit Feldman Margit Buchhalter Feldman (June 12, 1929 – April 14, 2020) was a Hungarian-American public speaker, educator, activist, and Holocaust survivor. Feldman and her family were placed in a concentration camp in 1944, where her parents were kill ...

(1929–2020), public speaker, educator, activist and Holocaust survivor * Hendrick Fisher (1697–1778), represented Somerset County in the New Jersey Colonial Assembly, was one of three delegates representing New Jersey at the First Colonial Congress ("The Stamp Act Congress") in New York in 1765, was elected to New Jersey's Committee of Correspondence, served as a member of the Committee of Safety, was President of the Colonial Assembly, was the first President of the

Provincial Congress of New Jersey The Provincial Congress of New Jersey was a transitional governing body of the Province of New Jersey in the early part of the American Revolution. It first met in 1775 with representatives from all New Jersey's then-thirteen counties, to supersed ...

in 1775, was labeled an arch traitor and "Enemy of the Crown", and a founder and first President of the board of trustees of Queen's College (now Rutgers University). His homestead and grave are currently located on the grounds of the Ukrainian Cultural Center on Easton Avenue west of Davidson Avenue in the Somerset section *

Krystyna Freda Krystyna Marie Freda (born 1 November 1993) is a footballer who plays as a forward. Born in the United States, she represents Cyprus internationally. Early life Freda was raised in the Somerset section of Franklin Township, Somerset County, New ...

(born 1993),

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for Cypriot First Division club

Apollon Ladies FC Apollon Ladies FC is a women's football team from Limassol, Cyprus, established in 2007. It is the leading club in the country, having won nine consecutive doubles. It is associated with men's side Apollon Limassol. Apollon made headlines after b ...

* Theodore Frelinghuysen (1787–1862), politician who served as New Jersey Attorney General, United States Senator, and Mayor of Newark, New Jersey before running as a candidate for Vice President with

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

on the Whig ticket in the election of 1844 *

Colonel Routh Goshen Routh Goshen, born Arthur James Caley (1824 – February 12, 1889) was most commonly known as Colonel Routh Goshen or the Arabian Giant or the Palestine Giant. He was billed as the tallest man in the world at 7 ft, 11 inches (2.41 ...

(1837–1889), billed as the tallest man in the world at and , he was known as the Middlebush Giant, a stage name created by

P. T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was ...

* Mary Griffith (1772–1846), writer, horticulturist and scientist *

Benjamin Griggs Benjamin Griggs (16901768) was one of the earliest European settlers of the area that would later be known as Griggstown, New Jersey, Griggstown in Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, Unite ...

(1690–1768), one of the earliest European settlers of the area that would later be known as Griggstown, a community that takes its name from the grist mill that Griggs established on the Millstone River *

Jean-Guillaume, baron Hyde de Neuville Jean-Guillaume, baron Hyde de Neuville (24 January 177628 May 1857) was a French aristocrat, diplomat, and politician. Early years; Royalist agent Jean-Guillaume was born at La Charité-sur-Loire (Nièvre), the son of Guillaume Hyde, who belonge ...

(1776–1857), French aristocrat, diplomat, and politician who resided in Franklin Township between 1811 and 1814 on a farm on Easton Avenue in the area of the current Neuville Drive *

Roy Hinson Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin. In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise to ...

(born 1961), Rutgers University stand-out who was a 1st round pick in the 1983 NBA Draft and played eight seasons with the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

and New Jersey Nets * John Honeyman (1729–1822), purported spy for

who was primarily responsible for gathering the intelligence crucial to Washington's victory in the

Battle of Trenton The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After General George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American m ...

Daryle Lamont Jenkins Daryle Lamont Jenkins (born July 22, 1968) is an American political activist, best known for founding One People's Project, an organization based in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Jenkins serves as its executive director. Early life Jenkins was bor ...

(born 1968), political activist, best known for founding

One People's Project One Peoples Project (OPP) is an organisation founded in 2000 to monitor and publish information about alleged racist and far-right groups and individuals, mostly in the United States. The group has about fifteen volunteers in addition to its mo ...

Leeroy Wilfred Kabs-Kanu Rev. Leeroy Wilfred Kabs Kanu, Esq. (born 7 March 1954), also known as Kabs Kanu or Kabs, is a Sierra Leonean American Christian Reverend, journalist, and newspaper publisher. He is a former high school English teacher, school principal, and l ...

(born 1954), Sierra Leonean-American reverend, journalist and newspaper publisher who served as Minister Plenipotentiary at the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations *

Matthew Leydt Matthew Leydt (1755–1783) was the first graduate of Queen's College (now Rutgers University) in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Matthew was the son of Syntje Slegt (1729–1763) (also spelled Tryntje Slecht or Sleight) and the Rev. Johannes Leydt (171 ...

(1755–1853), the first graduate of Queen's College (now Rutgers College of Rutgers University) *

Christopher Massimine Christopher Massimine (born May 1986) is an American former theater producer and the former Chief executive officer, CEO of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. In 2019, he was appointed Managing director (theater), managing director of the Pi ...

, former CEO of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene *

Judy Melick Judith Ellen Melick (born June 4, 1954) is an American former competition swimmer who swam with the Scarlet Jets Swim Club, and Rutgers University under Coach Frank Elm and swam the 100-meter breaststroke event as part of the U.S. team at the 19 ...

(born 1954), former competition

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

who participated as part of the U.S. team at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

* Diamond Miller (born 2001), college basketball player for the

Maryland Terrapins women's basketball The Maryland Terrapins women's basketball team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition. Maryland, a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), left the ACC in 2014 to ...

team * Paul Muldoon (born 1951), writer, academic and educator, as well as

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

-winning poet originally from County Armagh, Northern Ireland *

Jeanette Mundt Jeanette Mundt (born 1982) is an American painter, best known for her works in the 2019 Whitney Biennial. Early life Mundt was born in Princeton, New Jersey, but grew up in Zurich, Switzerland. Personal life Mundt currently resides in the ...

(born 1982), painter, best known for her works in the 2019 Whitney Biennial *

Peter Davis Oakey Peter Davis Oakey (February 25, 1861 – November 18, 1920), usually called P. Davis Oakey, was a businessman and government official from Connecticut. A Republican, he was most notable for his service in the United States House of Representativ ...

(1861–1920), politician who served in the United States House of Representatives 1915–1917 *

Michael James Pappas Michael James Pappas (born December 29, 1960) is an American politician and former one term Republican Congressman from New Jersey, serving from 1997 to 1999. He is currently the Township Administrator in Bridgewater, New Jersey. He was an unsuc ...

(born 1960), former

U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

known for securing the release of the battleship USS ''New Jersey'' to the state of New Jersey as a museum, and his infamous singing of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Kenneth Starr" on the House floor, former Mayor of Franklin Township. *

Randal Pinkett Randal D. Pinkett (born 1971) is an American business consultant who in 2005 was the winner of The Apprentice (U.S. season 4), season four of the reality television show The Apprentice (US TV Series), ''The Apprentice''. Pinkett is the first Afric ...

(born 1971), winner of '' The Apprentice 4'', entrepreneur, speaker, author, scholar and community servant. Co-Founder, President and CEO of BCT Partners, a Rutgers University

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

with four advanced degrees from University of Oxford and

M.I.T. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

* Jeff Porter (born 1985), track and field athlete who competed for the United States in the 110-meter hurdles at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

and the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

Denman, Elliott
"Franklin's Jeff Porter makes Olympics in hurdles"
'' Courier News'', July 1, 2012. Accessed February 12, 2013. "Joe Porter, the Franklin Township High School and Rutgers University alumnus, played in the NFL from 2006 to 2011, most recently as an Oakland Raiders cornerback. But now it's his twin brother. Jeff, making news of his own." * Joe Porter (born 1985), cornerback who played in the NFL for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

, Cleveland Browns and

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

Ferdinand Schureman Schenck Ferdinand Schureman Schenck (February 11, 1790 – May 16, 1860) was an American politician who represented New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives for two terms from 1833 to 1837. Early life and education He was born in Mills ...

(1790–1860), politician who represented New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1833 to 1837 *

Breein Tyree Breein Tyree (born January 13, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for B.C. Oostende, Filou Oostende of the BNXT League. He played college basketball for the Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball, Ole Miss Rebels. High school career Ra ...

(born 1998),

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

for the Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team * Charlie Weis (born 1956), former head coach of the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, former offensive coordinator for

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

during

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX, football coach for Franklin High School during its 1989 state championship season *

Helen Westley Helen Westley (born Henrietta Remsen Meserole Manney; March 28, 1875 – December 12, 1942) was an American character actress of stage and screen Early years Westley was born Henrietta Remsen Meserole Manney in Brooklyn, New York on March 28, ...

(1875–1942), movie actress popular in the 1930s and 1940s, starring in such films as '' The Age of Innocence'', ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

'', and ''

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' is a classic American 1903 children's novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin that tells the story of Rebecca Rowena Randall and her aunts, one stern and one kind, in the fictional village of Riverboro, Maine. Rebecca's joy ...

'' *

Alma Bridwell White Alma Bridwell White (June 16, 1862 – June 26, 1946) was the founder and a bishop of the Pillar of Fire Church. In 1918, she became the first woman bishop of Pillar of Fire in the United States. She was a proponent of feminism. She also ass ...

(1862–1946), founder of the Pillar of Fire Church and

community, first woman consecrated a bishop in the United States *

Arlene White Lawrence Arlene Hart White Lawrence (November 11, 1916 – November 10, 1990) was a bishop and the third president and general superintendent of the Pillar of Fire Church, a Protestant denomination which in 1966 operated church congregations, missionar ...

(1916–1990), Bishop and the third President and General Superintendent of the Pillar of Fire Church * Bruce Williams (born 1932), radio talk show host; currently the longest running talk show in history. Member of

Radio Hall of Fame The Radio Hall of Fame, formerly the National Radio Hall of Fame, is an American organization created by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. Three years later, Bruce DuMont, founder, president, and CEO of the Museum of Broadcast Communicatio ...

, former Mayor of Franklin Township from 1967 to 1975 * Earl Williams (1948–2013), MLB catcher for eight seasons who earned the National League's

Rookie of the Year Award A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

at that position in 1971Weber, Bruce
"Earl Williams, Baseball Slugger, Dies at 64"
'' The New York Times'', February 1, 2013. Accessed February 2, 2015. "Earl Williams, a slugging if ambivalent catcher and infielder — 'My favorite position is batter,' he once said — who won the National League rookie of the year award in 1971 but whose promise went unfulfilled amid a welter of minor controversies, died early Tuesday at his home in Somerset, N.J."

References

External links

Franklin Township websiteChamber of Commerce
{{Authority control 1798 establishments in New Jersey Faulkner Act (council–manager) Populated places established in 1798 Townships in Somerset County, New Jersey