Franklin was prolific,
regardless of which name he used.
Richard Saunders - He used this name for his Poor Richard’s
Almanac, which ran annually from 1732 to 1758. The Richard character
brought humor to what was otherwise a serious resource in the
almanac. During the years of publication the unnecessary character
gradually disappeared.
Silence Dogood - When Benjamin was 16-years-old, he wanted to
write for his brother James’ newspaper, The New England Courant, but
James would not allow it. Ben contributed to the paper as a
middle-aged widow named Silence Dogood whose witty and satirical
letters covered a range of topics from courtship to education.
Fifteen Dogood letters were published, resulting in the amusement of
Courant readers and several marriage proposals for the pretend
widow, Mrs. Dogood.
Anthony Afterwit - Mr. Afterwit, a gentleman, wrote humorous
letters about married life that appeared in Franklin’s own
Pennsylvania Gazette.
Polly Baker - Polly Baker was a pseudonym Franklin used to
examine colonial society’s unequal treatment of women. She was
pretend punished by society for having children out of wedlock while
the fathers of the children went unpunished.
Alice Addertongue - Alice is another middle-aged widow who
wrote a gossip column for Franklin’s Gazette in the form of
scandalous stories about prominent members of society.
Caelia Shortface and Martha Careful - These pseudonyms were
used by Franklin to settle a personal dispute. They wrote letters
mocking Franklin’s former employer, Samuel Keimer, who had stolen
some of Franklin’s publishing ideas. Shortface and Careful’s letters
were published in The American Weekly Mercury, a publication by a
Keimer rival.
Busy Body - Also published in The American Weekly Mercury,
Miss Body’s letters were gossip stories about local businessmen.
Benevolous. Benevolous - He wrote letters to British
newspapers while Franklin was in London. The primary focus of the
letters was to correct negative statements made about Americans in
the British press.
