Lucius F. C. Garvin
Encyclopedia
Origins and family
Lucius Garvin was born in 1841 in Knoxville, TennesseeKnoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
. His father, James Garvin, was a professor at East Tennessee University.In 1862, Lucius graduated from Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
. With the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
under way, he enlisted as a private in Company E of the 51st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
51st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
The 51st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-History:...
.
After the war, Garvin was trained as a physician at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
. He interned at Boston City Hospital
Boston City Hospital
The Boston City Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, was "intended for the use and comfort of poor patients, to whom medical care will be provided at the expense of the city, and .....
and graduated in 1867, setting up a private practice in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 71,148 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth largest city in the state.-History:...
. In 1869, he married Lucy Waterman Southmayd (b. 1833). They had three daughters: Ethel, Norma and Florence
Florence Garvin
Florence Garvin was a women's rights activist, the daughter of former Rhode Island governor Lucius F. C. Garvin, the author of several books including Land Rent, Arden Charm and Americanism and a candidate for United States Vice President in the 1932 and 1936 presidential elections.She was a...
. In 1876, Garvin relocated to Lonsdale, Rhode Island
Lonsdale, Rhode Island
Lonsdale is a village and historic district in Lincoln and Cumberland, Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, near Rhode Island Route 146 and Route 95. The village was originally part of the town of Smithfield until Lincoln was created in the 1870s. William Blaxton settled in the area in...
Political career
Garvin became involved in politics, serving first as town moderator for Cumberland, Rhode IslandCumberland, Rhode Island
Cumberland is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, incorporated in 1746. The population was 33,506 at the 2010 census.-History:...
in 1881. He became known as a progressive in the mold of Henry George
Henry George
Henry George was an American writer, politician and political economist, who was the most influential proponent of the land value tax, also known as the "single tax" on land...
, championing a "Single Tax" and popular initiative. As an advocate of labor, he spoke out to improve the working conditions of local textile factory workers and endorsed a shorter workday
Eight-hour day
The eight-hour day movement or 40-hour week movement, also known as the short-time movement, had its origins in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life and imposed long hours and poor working conditions. With working conditions...
. As a Democrat, he was unusually successful in the Republican stronghold of the northeast.
In 1883, Garvin was elected to the first of many terms in the Rhode Island House of Representatives
Rhode Island House of Representatives
The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Rhode Island. It is composed of 75 members, elected to two year terms from 75 districts of equal population. The Rhode Island General Assembly does not have...
. He also served several terms in the Rhode Island Senate
Rhode Island Senate
The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Rhode Island. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of whom is elected to a two-year term. Rhode Island is one of the 14 states where its upper house serves at a two-year...
, and campaigned persistently, but without success, to represent Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district
Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district
Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in southern and western Rhode Island. The district is currently represented by James Langevin, who has represented the district since January 2001....
. In 1902, he was elected to the first of two consecutive terms as Governor of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. Due to the Brayton Act of 1901, passed by the securely Republican State Senate to limit the powers of the Governor's office, Garvin was unable to make any executive, legislative or judicial appointees. He successfully fended off an electoral challenge from industrialist Samuel P. Colt
Samuel P. Colt
Samuel Pomeroy Colt was an industrialist and politician from Rhode Island.He was born in Paterson, New Jersey on January 10, 1852, the youngest of six children born to Christopher Colt and Theodora Goujand DeWolf Colt of Bristol, Rhode Island...
in 1903, and was briefly discussed as a possible candidate to challenge incumbent president Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
in the 1904 U.S. Presidential Election
United States presidential election, 1904
The United States presidential election of 1904 held on November 8, 1904, resulted in the election to a full term for President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt had succeeded to the presidency upon the assassination of William McKinley. The Republican Party unanimously nominated him for president at...
.
Garvin became identified with anti-corruption
Anti-Corruption
Anti-Corruption is a 1975 Hong Kong film directed by Ng See Yuen and released under the Eternal Film banner.-External links:* Anti-Corruption at...
reform, and was widely quoted on the subject. In a speech to the Rhode Island General Assembly
Rhode Island General Assembly
The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Senate with 38 senators...
, he said: "Bribery is so common and has existed for so many years that the awful nature of the crime ceases to impress." He furnished information for Lincoln Steffens
Lincoln Steffens
-Biography:Steffens was born April 6, 1866, in San Francisco. He grew up in a wealthy family and attended a military academy. He studied in France and Germany after graduating from the University of California....
' muckraking article, "Rhode Island: A State for Sale," published in 1905 in McClure's
McClure's
McClure's or McClure's Magazine was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with creating muckraking journalism. Ida Tarbell's series in 1902 exposing the monopoly abuses of John D...
.
Later life
Lucy Garvin had died 1898, and in 1907, Lucius married Sarah Emma Tomlinson, a graduate of Perkins School for the BlindPerkins School for the Blind
Perkins School for the Blind, located in Watertown, Massachusetts, is the oldest schools for the blind in the United States. It has also been known as the Perkins Institution for the Blind.-History:...
. They had two sons, Lucius and Sumner.
Lucius Garvin died October 2, 1922 in his office in Lonsdale. His obituary in the New York Times described him as "picturesque figure" known throughout the state, adding that he had never owned an automobile, preferring to travel by bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
.
Garvin was buried at Swan Point Cemetery
Swan Point Cemetery
Swan Point Cemetery is a cemetery located in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Established in 1846 on a 60 acre plot of land. It has approximately 40,000 interments.- History :...
, in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
.
