Many interesting tales to be found here, including that of Benjamin Franklin's hurtful son:
The other son, William (1731-1813), was with Franklin in 1752 when he flew the famous kite. William was the last royal governor of New Jersey before the Revolution; when the war broke out, he sided with the British. He was tried as a traitor and imprisoned until 1782, when he was deported to England, where he remained for the rest of his life. But in 1784, after receiving overtures toward reconciliation from his Tory son, Franklin wrote to him. "Nothing has ever hurt me so much," he confessed, "as to find myself deserted in my old age by my only son; and not only deserted, but to find him taking up arms against me in a cause wherein my good fame, fortune, and life were all at stake ... we will endeavor, as you propose, mutually to forget what has happened."
The children of Karl Marx and Theodor Herzl famously set new standards for sad and miserable famous lives.
Posted by floridacracker at September 18, 2006 09:07 AM