Descended from a Pilgrim who came on the “Mayflower” and from distinguished ancestry of Colonial days in New England, and prominent in the political affairs of Rhode Island for many years, Arthur Cushing, of North Providence, bears a fine reputation as an outstanding citizen and member of the bar. He has held many elective public offices and is a popular member of fraternal and social organizations, with a wide acquaintance and a circle of friends in all sections of the State.
He was born in Providence, October 15, 1867, a son of Edward Jarvis and Mary Heath (Wild) Cushing. His father was born in Providence, in 1824, and was engaged here as a journalist until his death. His mother, also deceased, was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. Mr. Cushing is a direct descendant of Richard Warren, who came to Plymouth on the “Mayflower,” of Benjamin Church, the Indian fighter, and also of Colonel Leonard Jarvis, the first commander of the Independent Cadets of Boston. His education was acquired in the public schools of North Providence, and he then attended the Mount Pleasant Academy, from which he was graduated with the class of 1885. His next step was to become a student at Brown University, which graduated him with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1889, and he then matriculated at the Harvard School of Law. In 1891 he was admitted to the bar of Rhode Island and has practiced since that year, with offices at No. 19 College Street, and No. 17 Exchange Street, Providence. Since 1909 he has sat on the bench as Probate Judge of the North Providence court. In 1893 and 1894 he served as recording clerk of the Rhode Island House of Representatives and was elected a member of that body for 1894, and reelected for a succeeding term in 1895. In 1904 he was elected to the State Senate and served his full term and was again elected to that body in 1929-30 . In 1909-10 he served as president of the North Providence Town Council; 1912 to 1925 as town solicitor. From 1901 to 1907 and again from 1922 to 1928 he was a member of the school committee; in 1906 and 1907 he was superintendent of schools and in 1899 and 1900 served as a member of the Rhode Island Bar Examination Committee. During the World War he was a member of the Legal Advisory Committee. He attends the Unitarian Church and his favorite sport is baseball.
Arthur Cushing married, January 16, 1895, Nettie Douglas Arnold, a native of Kingstown, Rhode Island, who died in 1928. Their children are:
- Elsie Wild, married Captain Charles E. Hurdis, an instructor at Princeton University.
- Hope Arnold, married Captain W. Irving Goodwin, faculty secretary at the Massachusetts Agricultural College.
- Susan Jarvis.
- Edward Douglas.