William Penn

English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, early Quaker and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania (1644-1718)
Person human Q209152
William Penn
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William Penn

Summary

William Penn is a human[1]. Born in London[2], he… he was born on October 14, 1644[3]. He passed away in Ruscombe[4]. He died on July 30, 1718[5]. He worked as a philosopher[6], entrepreneur[7], theologian[8], politician[9], and writer[10]. He ranks in the top 0.59% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (5,712 views/month, #5,952 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • William Penn was born in London[2].
  • William Penn passed away in Ruscombe[4].
  • William Penn was born on October 14, 1644[3].
  • William Penn was born on October 14, 1644[12].
  • William Penn died on July 30, 1718[5].
  • William Penn died on July 30, 1718[13].
  • William Penn is buried at Jordans Friends Burial Ground[14].
  • William Penn's father was William Penn[15].
  • William Penn's mother was Margaret Jasper[16].
  • Among William Penn's spouses was Gulielma Springett Penn[17].
  • William Penn was married to Hannah Callowhill Penn[18].
  • A child of William Penn was Richard Penn[19].
  • A child of William Penn was John Penn[20].
  • A child of William Penn was Thomas Penn[21].
  • A child of William Penn was William Penn[22].
  • A child of William Penn was Margaretta Penn[23].
  • A child of William Penn was Letitia Penn[24].
  • William Penn held citizenship in Kingdom of England[25].
  • William Penn's professions included philosopher[6].
  • William Penn's professions included entrepreneur[7].
  • William Penn worked as a theologian[8].
  • William Penn worked as a politician[9].
  • William Penn worked as a writer[10].
  • William Penn worked as a Colonial proprietor[26].
  • William Penn's education included a stint at Christ Church[27].

Body

Origins and Family

William Penn was born in London[2]. Recorded date of birth include October 14, 1644[3]. His father was he[15]. His mother was Margaret Jasper[16].

Education

Educated at Christ Church[27], a college of the University of Oxford[28], in United Kingdom[29], founded in 1546[30], headquartered in Oxford[31] and Chigwell School[32], an independent school[33], in United Kingdom[34], founded in 1629[35].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include philosopher[6], entrepreneur[7], theologian[8], politician[9], writer[10], and Colonial proprietor[26].

Recognition

Awards received include Fellow of the Royal Society[36], a fellowship award[37], in United Kingdom[38] and honorary citizen of the United States[39], an award[40], in United States[41], founded in 1963[42].

Personal Life

Spouses include Gulielma Springett Penn[17], 1644–1694[43] and Hannah Callowhill Penn[18], a founder[44], 1671–1726[45], awarded the honorary citizen of the United States[46]. Children include Richard Penn[19], 1706–1771[47], of United States[48]; John Penn[20], 1700–1746[49]; Thomas Penn[21], a businessperson[50], 1702–1775[51], of Kingdom of Great Britain[52]; William Penn[22], 1681–1720[53], of United States[54]; Margaretta Penn[23], 1704–1750[55]; and Letitia Penn[24], 1678–1746[56]. His religion is recorded as Quakers[57].

Death and Burial

Recorded date of death include July 30, 1718[5]. William Penn died in Ruscombe[4]. The cause of death was stroke[58]. Burial took place at Jordans Friends Burial Ground[14].

Works and Contributions

Things named for William Penn include Pennsville[59], a township of New Jersey[60], in United States[61], founded in 1721[62] and Penn Township[63], a township of Pennsylvania[64], in United States[65].

Why It Matters

William Penn ranks in the top 0.59% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (5,712 views/month, #5,952 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 24 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[66] He is known by 8 alternative names across languages and contexts.[67]

Entities named for him include Pennsville[59], a township of New Jersey[60], in United States[61], founded in 1721[62] and Penn Township[63], a township of Pennsylvania[64], in United States[65].

FAQs

Where was William Penn born?

William Penn's place of birth was London[2].

Where did William Penn die?

William Penn passed away in Ruscombe[4].

Who were William Penn's parents?

William Penn's father was William Penn[15]. William Penn's mother was Margaret Jasper[16].

Who was William Penn married to?

William Penn's spouses include Gulielma Springett Penn[17] and Hannah Callowhill Penn[18].

What did William Penn do for work?

William Penn worked as philosopher[6], entrepreneur[7], theologian[8], politician[9], and writer[10].

Where did William Penn go to school?

William Penn was educated at Christ Church[27] and Chigwell School[32].

What awards did William Penn receive?

Honors received include Fellow of the Royal Society[36] and honorary citizen of the United States[39].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1969–1978). Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [15] . Q75653886. wikidata.org.
  4. [16] . The Peerage. wikidata.org.
  5. [17] . Q75653886. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  6. [18] . Q75653886. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  7. [25] . wikidata.org.
  8. [19] . Q75653886. wikidata.org.
  9. [20] . Q75653886. wikidata.org.
  10. [21] . Q75653886. wikidata.org.
  11. [22] . Q75653886. wikidata.org.
  12. [23] . The Peerage. wikidata.org.
  13. [24] . wikidata.org.
  14. [27] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  15. [32] . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  16. [6] . wikidata.org.
  17. [7] . wikidata.org.
  18. [8] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [9] . wikidata.org.
  20. [10] . Library of the World's Best Literature. wikidata.org.
  21. [26] . wikidata.org.
  22. [14] . Find a Grave. wikidata.org.
  23. [57] . Friendly Networks. wikidata.org.
  24. [36] . JSTOR. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  25. [39] . presidency.ucsb.edu. Retrieved . presidency.ucsb.edu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  26. [58] . wikidata.org.
  27. [3] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  28. [12] . Olomouc City Library regional database. Retrieved . tritius.kmol.cz. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  29. [5] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  30. [13] . Olomouc City Library regional database. Retrieved . tritius.kmol.cz. Provenance: wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [59] . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [63] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [51] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [66] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [67] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). William Penn. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-penn
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BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_william-penn_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{William Penn}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-penn}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 1d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Described by source Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography, Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1969–1978), Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900 +13
    Local thumb
    Occupation philosopher, entrepreneur, theologian +3
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32080|batch #32080]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (22)"
  2. 13d ago · Bargioni · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30465|batch #30465]]: add P1810 to P5739 1/3"
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