William Greene (colonial governor)
| William Greene Sr. | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 23rd, 25th, 27th, and 29th Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations | |
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In office 1743–1745 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Ward |
| Succeeded by | Gideon Wanton |
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In office 1746–1747 |
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| Preceded by | Gideon Wanton |
| Succeeded by | Gideon Wanton |
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In office 1748–1755 |
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| Preceded by | Gideon Wanton |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Hopkins |
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In office 1757–1758 |
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| Preceded by | Stephen Hopkins |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Hopkins |
| 26th Deputy Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations | |
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In office 1740–1743 |
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| Governor | Richard Ward |
| Preceded by | Richard Ward |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Whipple Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 16, 1695 Warwick, Rhode Island |
| Died |
February 22, 1758 (aged 62) Providence, Rhode Island |
| Resting place | Governor Greene Cemetery, Love Lane, Warwick |
| Spouse(s) | Catharine Greene |
| Occupation | Clerk of Providence County Court, Speaker of Rhode Island Assembly, Deputy Governor, Governor |
William Greene Sr. (March 16, 1695 – January 23, 1758) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He was a clerk of the county court in Providence, deputy from Warwick, speaker of the Rhode Island Assembly, and then deputy governor from 1740 to 1743. He became governor for the first time in 1743 and served four separate terms for a total of 11 years, and died while in office during his final term.
William Greene was the son of Samuel Greene (1671-1720) and Mary Gorton Greene (1673-1732), and grandson of John Greene Jr. of Warwick, who had spent most of his long life as a public servant, including 10 years as the Deputy Governor of the colony. His great-grandfather, also named John Greene Sr., had come from Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, was a surgeon, and an early settler of Warwick in the colony of Rhode Island. His great-grandfather on his mother's side was Samuel Gorton, the founder of Warwick, and for a very short period the governor of the two towns of Providence and Warwick.
Greene was made a freeman of the colony in 1718, and at the age of 32 was elected a deputy from Warwick in 1727, which office he held for five years. He was the clerk of the county court in Providence and speaker of the Rhode Island Assembly in 1734 and 1739. In 1728 he was appointed, along with John Mumford of Newport, to survey the boundary line between the Rhode Island and Connecticut colonies. When Governor John Wanton died in 1740, Richard Ward became the governor, and Greene became the new Deputy Governor, which office he held until his own election to governor in May 1743. This was one of the rare cases when a Rhode Island governor did not come from the island of Aquidneck where the towns of Newport and Portsmouth are located.
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