Charles Read (b. circa 1686 - January 20, 1736) was a merchant and the 20th mayor of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, serving from October 4, 1726 to October 3, 1727. He also owned the house that became the

London Coffee House English coffeehouses in the 17th and 18th centuries were public social places where men would meet for conversation and commerce. For the price of a penny, customers purchased a cup of coffee and admission. Travellers introduced coffee as a bevera ...

, which he bought for £150.

Life

Born circa 1686, Charles Read was related to

Deborah Read Deborah Read Franklin ( 1708 – December 19, 1774) was the common-law wife of Benjamin Franklin, polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Early years Little is known about Read's early life. She was born around 1708, ...

, who married

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

. In 1717 he qualified as a Common Councilman, and a year later was commissioned Justice of the Peace for Philadelphia county. He was promoted to Alderman on October 22, 1722. In 1723, he was charged with leading the Free Society of Traders. He was also sheriff, excise collector and judge of admiralty, before finally becoming mayor in 1726. The third Charles Read, his son, was born in the London Coffee House (finished in 1702) in 1715.Arthur Dudley Pierce, 1957. Iron in the Pines: The Story of New Jersey's Ghost Towns and Bog Iron. Rutgers University Press. .Thompson Westcott, 1877. The Historic Mansions and Buildings of Philadelphia: With Some Notice of Their Owners and Occupants. Porter & Coates. pp. 68–70.John W. Jordan; LL. D., 1911. Colonial families of Philadelphia. Рипол Классик. p. 1189. . One of his final positions was Clerk of the Orphan's Court of Philadelphia county, where he was succeeded by his deputy,

Thomas Hopkinson Thomas Hopkinson (April 6, 1709 – November 5, 1751) was a lawyer, public official, and prominent figure in colonial Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Early life Thomas Hopkinson was born in London, on April 6, 1709, the son of Mary Hopkinson, and T ...

, upon his death in 1736.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Read, Charles Mayors of Philadelphia 1736 deaths Year of birth uncertain