Royal C. Taft
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Royal Chapin Taft (February 14, 1823 – June 4, 1912) was an US policitian and businessman, whose most distinguished post was that of Governor of Rhode Island 1888-1889.
He was born in Northbridge, Worcester County, Massachusetts, 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 Aimington.[1]
He belonged to the Republican party, and was elected member of Rhode Island state house of representatives, 1880-84; Governor of Rhode Island, 1888-89.
He was also president of Merchants National Bank from 1868[2] 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). He died June 4, 1912, and is interred at Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, R.I.
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.[3]
Taft Hall at the University of Rhode Island is named after him, as well as the Royal C. Taft Outpatient Building (1891) at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence[4].
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ According to [1], he was at that time resident in New York.
- ^ 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
- ^ See footnote 4 on [3], which describes mrs. Taft giving the school 169 prints from his collection in 1945.
- ^ Mentioned in [4], which is otherwise irrelevant
[edit] Sources
- Find-A-Grave biography. Retrieved on 2006-08-17.
- The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Taft. Retrieved on 2006-08-17.
- University of Rhode Island virtual tour. Retrieved on 2006-08-17.
