John Brown Francis

John Brown Francis

John Brown Francis (born May 31, 1791 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , † August 9, 1864 in Warwick , Rhode Island ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Rhode Island from 1833 to 1838 . Between 1844 and 1845 he represented his state in the US Senate .

Early years

John Francis was the grandson of John Brown , who was a member of the US House of Representatives from 1799 to 1800 . He attended the public schools in Providence and then studied until 1808 at Brown University there , which had been founded by members of his family. Then he completed a law degree. Despite his admission to the bar, he never worked as a lawyer.

Political career

Between 1821 and 1829, John Francis was an MP in the Rhode Island House of Representatives . In 1831 he was also a member of the State Senate . In 1833 John Francis was elected as the Whig Party candidate for the new governor of his state. Between May 1, 1833 and May 2, 1838 he then completed five terms. During this time, a new law to control the banks was passed, a lottery was introduced and the militia reorganized.

Between 1841 and 1854 Francis was Chancellor of Brown University, whose board of trustees he had been a member since 1828. After the resignation of William Sprague , John Francis was elected as a member of the Law and Order Party to succeed him as a Class 1 Senator in Congress . There he ended the term of office of his predecessor between January 25, 1844 and March 3, 1845, but did not run for re-election. During this time he was chairman of the Committee on Engrossed Bills . In March 1845, the newly elected Senator Albert C. Greene succeeded him.

Another résumé

On his return from Washington , John Francis was again State Senator in Rhode Island between 1845 and 1856. He then withdrew from politics and devoted himself to his private interests, which now also included agriculture. He died in 1864 on his estate "Spring Green" near Warwick. John Francis was married twice and had a total of five children.

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

• John Francis at the National Governors Association (English)
• John Brown Francis in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• John Brown Francis in the database of Find a Grave (English)