Franklin Peale

Franklin Peale
Portrait by Rembrandt Peale
3rd Chief Coiner of the United States Mint at Philadelphia
In office March 27, 1839 – December 2, 1854
President	Martin Van Buren William Henry Harrison John Tyler James K. Polk Zachary Taylor Millard Fillmore Franklin Pierce
Preceded by	Adam Eckfeldt
Succeeded by	George K. Childs[1]
2nd Melter and Refiner of the United States Mint at Philadelphia
In office January 5, 1836 – March 27, 1839
President	Andrew Jackson Martin Van Buren
Preceded by	Joseph Cloud
Succeeded by	Jonas R. McClintock
Personal details
Born	Aldrovand Peale (1795-10-15)October 15, 1795 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	May 5, 1870(1870-05-05) (aged 74) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Resting place	Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia[2]
Spouses	Eliza Greatrake ​ ​ (m. 1815; ann. 1820)​ Caroline E. Girard Haslam ​ ​ (m. 1839)​
Children	1 (by Greatrake)
Parent	Charles Willson Peale (father)
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania
Signature

Benjamin Franklin Peale (born Aldrovand Peale; October 15, 1795 – May 5, 1870) was an American officer of the Philadelphia Mint from 1833 to 1854. Although Peale introduced many innovations to the Mint of the United States, he was eventually dismissed amid allegations he had used his position for personal gain.

Peale was a son of painter Charles Willson Peale, and was born in the Philadelphia Museum, a museum of curiosities which his father ran in Philadelphia. For the most part, Franklin Peale's education was informal, though he took some classes at the University of Pennsylvania. He became adept in machine making. In 1820, he became an assistant to his father at the museum, and managed it after Charles Peale's death in 1827.

In 1833, Peale was hired by the Mint, and was sent for two years to Europe to study and report back on coining techniques. He returned with plans for improvement, and designed the first steam-powered coinage press in the United States, installed in 1836. Peale was made Melter and Refiner of the Philadelphia Mint that year, and Chief Coiner three years later upon the retirement of the incumbent, Adam Eckfeldt, who continued in his work without pay. Eckfeldt's labor allowed Peale to run a medal business using Mint property. This sideline eventually caused Peale's downfall: conflicts with Engraver James B. Longacre and Melter and Refiner Richard Sears McCulloh led to Peale being accused of misconduct, and he was dismissed by President Franklin Pierce in 1854.

In retirement, Peale continued his involvement in and leadership of many civic organizations; he died in 1870. Numismatic author Q. David Bowers suggests that the facts of Peale's career allow writers to draw very different conclusions about him.