Henry B. Anthony

Henry B. Anthony

Henry Bowen Anthony (born April 1, 1815 in Coventry , Rhode Island , † September 2, 1884 in Providence , Rhode Island) was an American politician and governor of the state of Rhode Island from 1849 to 1851 . He also represented his state in the US Senate between 1859 and 1884 .

Early years

Henry Anthony was the fourth of seven children to William and Mary Anthony. The father was a wealthy operator of a cotton mill. Henry was educated in private schools in his homeland and then studied at Brown University until 1833 . He then became the publisher of the Providence Journal, an anti-Catholic newspaper that attacked immigrants from Ireland and the French communities in Canada. Anthony later became a co-owner of the newspaper. Anthony controlled this paper for over 40 years until his death and alongside his political activities.

Rise to Governor of Rhode Island

Anthony was a member of the Whig Party . In 1849 he was elected the new governor of his state with an anti-Catholic and anti-Irish election platform. After a re-election in 1850, he was able to exercise this office between May 1, 1849 and May 6, 1851. During his tenure, teachers' salaries were included in the budget for the first time. Anthony also advocated reform of the school system. Anthony turned down another candidacy in 1851.

Anthony as a US Senator

After his party dissolved, Anthony joined the newly formed Republicans . In 1858 he was elected as their candidate for the US Senate. There he took the seat of Philip Allen , who had also been governor of Rhode Island after him. Anthony was re-elected in 1864, 1870, 1876 and 1882. He was a member of the Senate from March 4, 1859 until his death on September 2, 1884. Anthony was a supporter of President Abraham Lincoln . Although he actually supported President Andrew Johnson , he was the first senator to vote for the president's removal from office during the impeachment process . In doing so, he complied with the party doctrine, which ultimately failed because seven Republican senators voted for Johnson, which meant that the number of votes required to remove the president was missed by one vote.

During his tenure in the Senate, Anthony served twice as President per Tempore of that body. He held this position for the first time between 1869 and 1873. At the beginning of 1875 he took over this office again for just under two months. Anthony was also Chairman of the Republican Senators ( Republican Conference ) and a member of the Printing Committee and the committee that dealt with claims from the Revolutionary War . At the time of his death, he was the longest serving U.S. Senator. Henry Anthony had been married to Sarah Aborn Rhodes since 1837, but she died in 1854.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 4, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

Commons : Henry B. Anthony  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Henry Anthony in the National Governors Association (English)
• Henry B. Anthony in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Henry B. Anthony in the database of Find a Grave (English)