We all know that William was the royal governor of New Jersey and head of the loyalists during the American Revolutionary War. After America won he went back to England. However, what did he do back in England for the rest of his life? Was he in politics? Did he resume his job as an attorney? I have found absolutely no information regarding his later life.
When William went into exile to England, he became one of the more well known Loyalist voices their. He tried to fight for reparations for Loyalist families who had their lands taken from them via means of violence. This was not entirely successful but he did get compensation for some lost valuables and a military pension. He also became one of the Founder Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1783 and married Mary Johnson d'Evelin, who had money as a widow, in 1788.
He never did make peace with his father but, following the patriarch's death in 1790, his son, William Temple Franklin, did move to London and lived with him in. His son had a dalliance with Ellen Johnson D'Evelin, the sister-in-law of his father's second wife, that resulted in an illegitimate daughter that William took in. As a father, he did not approve of his son's lifestyle, resulting in Temple moving to Paris. They would never meet again. Mary died in 1811 and William took care of his granddaughter to his death in 1813.
While not as grand as being a royal governor, his later years continue the almost tragic drama in the Franklin family. If you would like a read, you may enjoy William Franklin: Son of a Patriot, Servant of a King by Sheila L. Skemp that goes over his life. His son donated a good portion of his letters and correspondences to the American Philosophical Society if you want to get a more inside look into the father-son relationship from that avenue.