William PEN (October 14th 1644, July 30th 1718) is the founder of the Pennsylvania, State of the the United States.

In 1681, Charles II king d' Angleterre granted William PEN of the grounds in North America, in refunding of a debt of 16.000 books towards its family. It is at least the official version. Actually, William PEN is in lawsuit against the church of England. It is excluded little by little from the English company; it was in particular returned University of Cambridge. His/her father, Admiral and Controller of the navy, then find an arrangement with the king. He proposes to give grounds in America, far from the lawsuits and of the difficulties encountered in England. There, it will be able to found a colony, free to exert its religion. The Quaker founded there the town of Philadelphia, by applying to it the precepts of government of an ideal liberal company. The young colony Quaker quickly became prosperous, so that Philadelphia became the capital of the first colonies. The original text of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution was signed in Capitole of Philadelphia now called Independence Hall (the text originals are with the public records with Washington DC. The colony also repurchased other grounds, of which West of the New Jersey with William Berkeley in 1674. The ideals which were put there in practice had an important influence on the future American institutions.

In 1984, it received US government on a purely posthumous basis the distinction of Citoyen of honor of the United States of America for its political action, considered as an important fact towards the American nation. It remains in the posterity while having bequeathed its name to the State of Pennsylvania.

A statue of William PEN is installed at the top of the town hall of Philadelphia, it dominated the city until 1987 (construction of the One Liberty Place). A tacit agreement wanted that it was interdict to build higher than William PEN (167 m). However today the statue of William PEN always has the sight released on the Delaware.

See too