William Sprague (politician, 1830)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Sprague

William Sprague IV (born September 12, 1830 in Cranston , Rhode Island , †  September 11, 1915 in Paris , France ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Rhode Island from 1860 to 1863 . Between 1863 and 1875 he represented his state in the US Senate .

Early years

William Sprague IV was the nephew of William Sprague III , a former governor of Rhode Island and a member of both houses of the US Congress . The younger William attended his home public schools and the Irving Institute in Tarrytown . After their father was murdered on December 31, 1843, both William and his brother Amasa had to drop out of their training to work in the family-owned company, the A&W Sprague Manufacturing Company . The company, which mainly dealt with calico printing and the manufacture of textiles, was now run by her uncle, the former US senator and governor. After his death in 1856, William became a partner there. This now also dealt with hardware and the construction of locomotives.

Governor and US Senator

William Sprague became a member of the Republican Party , whose candidate he was elected Governor of Rhode Island in 1860. It was confirmed in 1861 and 1862, respectively. Sprague was a supporter of the Union and provided money and troops for the Civil War even before President Abraham Lincoln asked for it. At the beginning of the war he also took an active part in the fighting. Sprague also raised a regiment of African Americans . In the further course of his governorship, he continued to support the war effort of the federal government. In 1862, William Sprague was elected to Congress as a Class 1 Senator . There he took over from Samuel G. Arnold in 1863 . At the same time he resigned as governor. After re-election in 1868, he was able to complete two legislative terms in the Senate until March 3, 1875. In Congress, he was Chairman of the Committee on Manufactures and a member of the Committee on Public Land Administration.

Another résumé

While he was still in the Senate, an economic crisis broke out in 1873 , which hit both his company and himself hard. In addition, there were marital problems with his then wife Kate Chase, the daughter of Salmon P. Chase , who had been Chief Justice of the United States since 1864 . His marriage ended in divorce in 1882. In 1883, Sprague applied unsuccessfully to return to the office of governor. This time he ran for the Democratic Party , which had agreed with the Independent Party on Sprague as a candidate. He then settled near the town of Narragansett , where he worked in agriculture and was chairman of the city council in 1900. In 1909 a fire destroyed his home and many personal records.

Then he moved to France with his second wife Dora Inez Clavert. After the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the Spragues made their apartment in Paris available for wounded people of all nationalities. William Sprague died in Paris in September 1915. He was buried in the family grave in Providence . He had four children from his first marriage to Kate Chase.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Frank Leslie's illustrations: The soldier in our Civil War . Columbian Memorial Edition. A pictorial history of the conflict, 1861-1865.
  2. ^ Panic of 1873
  3. ^ William Sprague: A Featured Biography - US Senate

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Sprague, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sprague, William IV
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician and governor of the state of Rhode Island (1860–1863)
DATE OF BIRTH September 12, 1830
PLACE OF BIRTH Cranston , Rhode Island
DATE OF DEATH September 11, 1915
Place of death Paris , France