William Sprague (1830-1915)
| William Sprague | |
|---|---|
 |
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United States Senator from Rhode Island |
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In office March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1875 |
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| Preceded by | Samuel G. Arnold |
| Succeeded by | Ambrose Burnside |
| 27th Governor of Rhode Island | |
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In office May 29, 1860 – March 3, 1863 |
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| Lieutenant |
J. Russell Bullock Samuel G. Arnold Seth Padelford |
| Preceded by | Thomas G. Turner |
| Succeeded by | William C. Cozzens |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 12, 1830 Cranston, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Died | September 11, 1915 (aged 84) Paris, France |
| Resting place | Swan Point Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Kate Chase Dora Inez Clavert |
| Profession | Politician, Manufacturer |
William Sprague IV (September 12, 1830 – September 11, 1915) was the 27th Governor of Rhode Island from 1860 to 1863, and U.S. Senator from 1863 to 1875. He participated in the First Battle of Bull Run during the American Civil War.
Sprague was born in the Gov. William Sprague Mansion in Cranston, Rhode Island, the youngest son of Amasa and Fanny Morgan Sprague. His uncle and namesake William Sprague III was also a Governor and U.S. Senator as well as U.S. Representative from Rhode Island. William and brother Amasa's education at the Irving Institute in Tarrytown, New York, was cut short when their father was murdered on New Year's Eve in 1843. The murder was considered a major event of the period, and the trial of accused killer John Gordon was marked by anti-Irish bigotry; Gordon was subsequently found guilty and executed.
Both brothers were called to work in the family business, the A.& W. Sprague Manufacturing Company, which was then under the direction of their uncle William III. When their uncle died in 1856, William and Amasa – along with their cousin Col. Byron Sprague, son of William III, and their mother Fanny Sprague and Aunt Harriet, widow of William III – became partners in the company. The second incorporation of the A. & W. Sprague Company occurred on June 2, 1859. It soon was the largest calico printing textile mill in the world. The company ran five weaving mills in New England. The Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad – of which William III had purchased controlling interest – connected the five mills to the Sprague Print Works in Cranston. The woven cloth was brought to Cranston to be printed. Sprague later became interested in linen weaving and locomotive building.
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