Franklinton is a town in and the parish seat of Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,857 at the 2010 census. The elevation is an average of 155ft above sea level. Located 61mi north of New Orleans, the town's name is pronounced locally as "Frank-lin-ton". Franklinton is part of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Area. A Franklinton physician, Jerry Thomas, represented Washington Parish in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1988 to 1999. He was elected to the District 12 seat in the state senate, serving from 1999 to 2004. He had succeeded Phil Short of Covington, who resigned. Prior to his state service, Dr. Thomas was the Washington Parish coroner from 1980 to 1988. Elected in 2015, Beth Mizell, a businesswoman from Franklinton, is the current District 12 state senator.