Which pen name did the American Benjamin Franklin use to publish his 14 letters in ‘The New-England Courant’?

The ‘New-England Courant’ (also spelled ‘New England Courant’) was one of the first independent American newspapers, founded in Boston on August 7, 1721 by James Franklin (1697-1735), an American colonial author, printer, newspaper publisher, and almanac publisher. His younger brother was Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and the first U.S. Postmaster General.

As a young boy, Benjamin Franklin worked as an apprentice in his brother’s printing shop in Boston, where ‘The New-England Courant’ was published and printed. Because he was unable to have anything published that he wrote, at the age of only 16, he created the persona of a middle-aged widow named Mrs. Silence Dogood and once every two weeks, he would leave a letter under the door of his brother’s printing shop.

Using this anonymous method, a total of 14 letters were sent to his brother’s shop. Franklin’s approach was to make light of and poke fun at various aspects of life in colonial America, amusing readers of the newspaper.

When Franklin’s brother found out that all 14 letters had been written by his younger brother, he was angry with Benjamin. As a result, Benjamin left his apprenticeship without permission and escaped to the city of Philadelphia.

Franklin went on to become a successful newspaper editor and printer in Philadelphia, publishing the ‘Pennsylvania Gazette’ at the age of 23.