Collection: Rhode Island: Three Centuries of Democracy

Descended from a long line of patriotic and professional men who served well their respective generations, William Bates Greenough, distinguished member of the Rhode Island bar, has filled, among other offices of a public character, that of Attorney-General of the State. He has also discharged several important commissions. His rise in the legal profession has been steady and sustained in the nearly two-score years of his practice; and he is a former vice-president of the American Bar Association and is at present a member of the Executive Committee. Providence recognizes him as one of the foremost of her citizens, one … Read more

Ernest LeGrand Sprague, son of Daniel Henry and Elleanora Sinclair (Rhodes) Sprague, was born at “Woodward Villa,” East Providence, Rhode Island, December 22, 1876. Through his father’s line he is a direct descendant from Edward Sprague of Upway, Dorsetshire, England, through his son Ralph, who was one of the original settlers of Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1628-29; and through his paternal grandmother, Juliaette Diana (White) Sprague, is a descendant of Peregrine White, the first white child born in New England; through his mother, Elleanora Sinclair Rhodes, he is descended from Zachary Rhodes, born in Massachusetts, November 5, 1687, son of John Rhodes, … Read more

Pastor of the Central Baptist Church at Providence, Rhode Island, from 1911 to 1931. Dr. Clarence Mason Gallup has been an important figure in the city’s life for many years, and one of the leaders in the work of his denomination in the North. He was born at Norwich, Connecticut, on October 2, 1874, a son of Loren Aborn and Elizabeth Hooker (Kinney) Gallup. This family is a very old one in New England, being descended from John Gallup, who came from County Dorset, England, to Boston in 1630, with the party of Governor Winthrop, and who served as captain … Read more

Major George Newman Bliss, son of James Leonard and Sarah A. (Stafford) Bliss, was born at Eagleville, Tiverton, Rhode Island, on July 22, 1837. He was one of an old family which numbered among its members Dr. James Bliss, great-grandfather of Major Bliss, who was a hospital steward in the Revolutionary War, and Thomas Bliss, the pioneer American of this branch of the Bliss family, who accompanied Samuel Newman from Weymouth when he founded his church at Rehoboth. With the exception of six months of school life in Tiverton, he received his elementary schooling in Fall River. In 1854, his … Read more

William Carpenter Bliss, distinguished lawyer and man of affairs, was born at East Providence, Rhode Island, on July 6, 1874, a son of George Newman and Fannie Amelia (Carpenter) Bliss. His father, also a lawyer, was judge of the Seventh Judicial District in this State for fifty-one years, until 1922. He was a man of genuine prominence in the State, a member of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, at various times, and for twenty-five years superintendent of schools at East Providence. During the period of the Civil War, he served as captain in the 1st Rhode Island … Read more

Superintendent of schools at Portsmouth and Middletown, Rhode Island, Roland Henry Chatterton, though still relatively young, has risen to a position of importance among the educators of this State. He was born on August 12, 1901, in Providence, Rhode Island, a son of William Henry and Katherine Etta (Thompson) Chatterton. His father was a mechanical engineer by occupation. Roland Henry Chatterton attended Providence public schools and, having early determined upon an educational career, later enrolled at Rhode Island State College, where he took the Bachelor of Science degree; Boston University, from which he was graduated with the Master of Arts … Read more

Mayor of the city of Providence, Rhode Island, since 1927, James Edward Dunne has been a well-known figure in the life of this section for many years. He has given much of his time and effort to the public service since the beginning of his active career. Mayor Dunne was born at Providence, Rhode Island, on October 3, 1882, a son of James and Mary Ellen (Reed) Dunne. His father, a veteran of the Civil War, in which he served with the First Rhode Island Cavalry, was later engaged in the grocery business at Providence. James Edward Dunne received his … Read more