| Conventional Long Name: | Franklin County |
| Common Name: | Franklin County |
| Subdivision: | County |
| Nation: | New Zealand |
| Year Start: | 1912 |
| Year End: | 1989 |
| Image Map Caption: | Franklin County in 1914 |
| Capital: | Pukekohe |
| Today: | North Island |
| Coordinates: | -37.2017°N 174.9051°W |
Franklin County was one of the counties of New Zealand in the North Island.
Franklin County took its name after the existing Parliamentary electorate of Franklin. This had evidently been named inhonour of Lady Jane Franklin, the wife of Sir John Franklin, the Arctic explorer. Lady Franklin had visited Robert Maunsell's mission station at the Waikato Heads in 1841.[1]
In 1923 Franklin County covered 620mi2 and had a population of 9,730, with 183miles of gravel roads, 252miles of mud roads and 400miles of tracks.[2]
Eight men served as chair of Franklin County Council during its 77-year existence:[3]
| Name | Term | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | W. Claud Motion | align=center | 1912–1914 | ||
| 2 | Joseph Flanagan | align=center | 1914–1917 | ||
| 1 | W. Claud Motion | align=center | 1917–1924 | Second period | |
| 3 | Henry Wilcox | align=center | 1924–1928 | ||
| 4 | Jack Massey | align=center | 1928–1953 | ||
| 5 | R.W. Bennett | align=center | 1953–1966 | ||
| 6 | P.M. Cochrane | align=center | 1966–1978 | ||
| 7 | Richard Hoe | align=center | 1978–1983 | ||
| 8 | D.M. McCartie | align=center | 1983–1989 |