Arthur Fenner
| Arthur Fenner | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 4th Governor of Rhode Island | |
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In office May 5, 1790 – October 15, 1805 |
|
| Lieutenant Governor | Samuel J. Potter |
| Preceded by | John Collins |
| Succeeded by | Henry Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 10, 1745 Providence, Colony of Rhode Island, British America |
| Died | October 15, 1805 (aged 59) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Resting place | North Burial Ground |
| Political party | Country Party |
| Spouse(s) | Amey Comstock |
| Religion | Baptist |
Arthur Fenner (December 10, 1745 – October 15, 1805) served as the fourth Governor of Rhode Island from 1790 until his death in 1805. He has the seventh longest gubernatorial tenure in post-Constitutional U.S. history at 5,641 days. Fenner was a prominent Country Party (Anti-federalist) leader. Around 1764, Fenner joined several others as a petitioner for the chartering of the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (the original name for Brown University).[1]
Fenner was born in 1745 to a prominent family in Providence in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. His ancestor Captain Arthur Fenner (1622–1703) had been a member of the Town Council, an associate of Roger Williams, and fought in King Philip's War. His parents were Arthur Fenner, Jr. (1699–1788) and Mary Olney. The Fenner family owned the wharf where the Gaspee Affair occurred in 1772.
He served as governor of Rhode Island from 1790 to 1805 and died in office. Fenner was governor of Rhode Island when it became the last of the thirteen states to ratify the Constitution on May 29, 1790. The following quote is from the Dictionary of American Biography:
Significant events during Fenner's time in office:
Governor Fenner married Amey Comstock (born ca. 1749; died September 5, 1828, in her 80th yr.), daughter of Gideon Comstock of Smithfield, Rhode Island.
His son, James Fenner, gave up his position as a US senator to be elected governor two years after his father’s death. James served from 1807 to 1811, from 1824 to 1831, and from 1843 to 1845. Arthur and Amey Fenner were members of the First Baptist Church in America, at Providence. They had four children:
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