Royal C. Taft
| Royal C. Taft | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 39th Governor of Rhode Island | |
| In office May 29, 1888 – May 28, 1889 |
|
| Lieutenant Governor | Enos Lapham |
| Preceded by | John W. Davis (governor) |
| Succeeded by | Herbert W. Ladd |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Royal Chapin Taft February 14, 1823 Northbridge, Massachusetts |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Providence, Rhode Island |
| Resting place | Swan Point Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Frances Armington |
| Parents | Orsmus Taft and Margaret (Smith) Taft |
| Residence | Providence, Rhode Island |
| Alma mater | Worcester Academy |
| Profession | Businessman (banking and railroads) |
Royal Chapin Taft (February 14, 1823 – June 4, 1912) was a US politician and businessman, whose most distinguished post was that as the 39th Governor of Rhode Island, an office he held from 1888–1889. He was a member of the Taft political family; he shared a great-great-great-great-grandfather (Robert Taft, Sr.) with President of the United States William Howard Taft.
Life and career
Taft was born in Northbridge, Massachusetts, on February 14, 1823, and was educated at Worcester Academy, where he graduated in 1872. His parents were Orsmus Taft and Margaret (Smith) Taft; on October 31, 1850, he married Mary Frances Armington.[1] They had four children.[2]
He belonged to the Republican Party, and was an elected member of Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1880-84 before his term as governor.
Taft was a member of the firm Bradford & Taft, wool dealers, from which he retired in 1885.[2] He was also president of Merchants' National Bank from 1868[3] president of the Boston & Providence Railroad, and a director of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (which took control of the B&P in 1893).
In 1890 he became a charter member of the Rhode Island Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. He served as the Society's president from 1897 to 1899.
He died June 4, 1912, at his home in Providence, Rhode Island.[2] At the time of his death, he was the oldest living ex-governor of Rhode Island.[2] He is interred at Swan Point Cemetery, Providence.[4]
He was a patron of the arts, with a large private collection; parts of his collection are now part of various institutions such as the Rhode Island School of Design.[5]
Taft Hall at the University of Rhode Island is named after him,[6] as well as the Royal C. Taft Outpatient Building (1891) at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.[7]
References
- ↑ According to [1], he was at that time resident in New York.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ See [2], which claims to be a transcript of "Industries and Wealth of the Principal Points in Rhode Island, being the city of Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Woonsocket, Newport, Narragansett Pier, Bristol & Westerly." from 1892
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ See footnote 4 on [3], which describes Mrs. Taft giving the school 169 prints from his collection in 1945.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Mentioned in [4], which is otherwise irrelevant
External links
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Governor of Rhode Island 1888–1889 |
Succeeded by Herbert W. Ladd |
- 1823 births
- 1912 deaths
- Governors of Rhode Island
- Members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
- Rhode Island Republicans
- People from Northbridge, Massachusetts
- Businesspeople from Massachusetts
- Worcester Academy alumni
- Taft family
- Burials at Swan Point Cemetery
- Republican Party state governors of the United States
