.gif)
William Sprague (1830-1915)
Encyclopedia
William Sprague IV was the 27th Governor of the U.S. state
of Rhode Island
from 1860–1863, and U.S. Senator from 1863-1875. He participated in the First Battle of Bull Run
during the American Civil War
.
in Cranston, Rhode Island
, the youngest son of Amasa and Fanny Morgan Sprague. His uncle and namesake William Sprague III
was also a Governor and U.S. Senator as well as U.S. Representative from Rhode Island. William and brother Amasa's education at the Irving Institute in Tarrytown, New York
, was cut short when their father was murdered on New Year's Eve in 1843 in Knightsville, Rhode Island
. The murder was considered a major event of the period, and the trial of accused killer John Gordon was marked by anti-Irish bigotry; Gordon was subsequently found guilty and executed.
Both brothers were called to work in the family business, the A.& W. Sprague Manufacturing Company, which was then under the direction of their uncle William III. When their uncle died in 1856, William and Amasa – along with their cousin Col. Byron Sprague, son of William III, and their mother Fanny Sprague and Aunt Harriet, widow of William III – became partners in the company. The second incorporation of the A. & W. Sprague Company occurred on June 2, 1859. It soon was the largest calico
printing textile mill in the world. The company ran five weaving mills in New England. The Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad – of which William III had purchased controlling interest – connected the five mills to the Sprague Print Works in Cranston. The woven cloth was brought to Cranston to be printed. Sprague later became interested in linen
weaving and locomotive
building.
whose candidate was seen as too radical. He was re-elected in 1861 and 1862. At twenty-nine years old, he was the youngest governor of a state at that time. He was sometimes referred to as the "boy governor," a title he may have given himself while campaigning for election.
As the Civil War
approached, Sprague promised U.S. President Abraham Lincoln
the support of Rhode Island. Upon Lincoln's call for volunteers in April 1861, troops left Rhode Island, and Sprague himself, believing that the war would last only 48 hours, accompanied a detachment in the First Battle of Bull Run
on July 21, 1861. The Confederate
victory made it clear to Sprague that the war would last longer than two days. He was offered a commission as a Brigadier General of Volunteers on August 9, 1861, though he declined the appointment. In 1862, he attended the Loyal War Governors' Conference
in Altoona, Pennsylvania
, which ultimately backed Abraham Lincoln
's Emancipation Proclamation
and the Union war effort. Retiring from the governor's office, he was elected to two terms as US Senator from Rhode Island, taking office in 1863 and serving to 1875. He served as chairman of the committees on public lands and on manufactures and as a member of the committees on commerce and on military affairs.
s, perfected a mowing machine, and also various processes in calico printing, especially that of direct printing on a large scale with the extract of madder
without a chemical bath. Sprague claimed to have discovered what he called the “principle of the orbit as inherent in social forces.” He asserted that money is endowed with two tendencies, the distributive and the aggregative. When the aggregative tendency predominates, as before the Civil War, decadence results; but when the distributive tendency is in the ascendancy, as it was later in the 19th century, there is progress.
On November 12, 1863, Sprague married Kate Chase
, daughter of Secretary of the Treasury
Salmon P. Chase
. She was considered the belle of Washington. Sprague's wedding gift to Kate was a tiara of matched pearls and diamonds that cost more than $50,000. As the bride entered the room, the Marine Band played "The Kate Chase March" which composer Thomas Mark Clark had written for the occasion. Although their marriage began well, quarreling became more common. They had four children: William (b. 1865), Ethel (b. 1869), Catherine ("Kitty," b. 1871) (who was mentally retarded) and Portia (b. 1873).
William's financial and political fortunes rapidly deteriorated in 1873, with the financial panic. His holdings were extensive both in Rhode Island and nationally. The death of his father-in-law, Salmon P. Chase, in the same year who had become Chief Justice of the United States
, added to his family problems. Severe setbacks occurred to the A. & W. Sprague Company following the Panic of 1873
. Likewise, the Spragues' marriage unravelled as William began to drink more and to criticize Kate's spending. Kate allegedly had an affair with New York
senator Roscoe Conkling
. According to popular rumor, in 1879 Sprague chased Conkling off his Narragansett estate after catching him with Kate, thus ending the alleged affair.
The couple divorced in 1882. William stayed with his father and the daughters lived with Kate Chase, who took back her maiden name after the divorce. After spending some time in Europe, Kate lived with her daughters outside Washington, D.C.
at Edgewood
, her father's estate. When her only son Willie Sprague took his own life at age 25 in 1890, Kate Chase became a recluse. She died in poverty in 1899.
, in 1883. He regained his interest in politics to become the first Narragansett, Rhode Island
Town Council President in 1900. On October 11, 1909, a fire destroyed the Sprague mansion, including Sprague's diaries and other valuable artifacts. The Spragues moved to Paris
. During World War I
, they opened their apartment as a convalescent hospital for the wounded of all nationalities.
Sprague died September 11, 1915 of complications from meningitis a day short of his 85th birthday. Following a simple funeral services in France, his wife arranged for his body to be brought back to Rhode Island draped in an American flag. He received full military honors when laid to rest in the family tomb at Swan Point Cemetery
in Providence, Rhode Island
. He was the last living senator who had served during the Civil War.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
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...
from 1860–1863, and U.S. Senator from 1863-1875. He participated in the First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas , was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the City of Manassas...
during 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...
.
Early years
Sprague was born in the Gov. William Sprague MansionGov. William Sprague Mansion
The Governor William Sprague Mansion is an historic mansion and museum in Cranston, Rhode Island on 1351 Cranston Street.The house was built around 1790. The house was the birthplace of Governor William Sprague III and his nephew, Governor William Sprague IV. It was added to the National Register...
in Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 80,387 at the 2010 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston...
, the youngest son of Amasa and Fanny Morgan Sprague. His uncle and namesake William Sprague III
William Sprague (1799-1856)
William Sprague, also known as William III or William Sprague III , was a politician and industrialist from the U.S. state of Rhode Island, serving as the 14th Governor, a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator. He was the uncle of William Sprague IV, also a Governor and Senator from Rhode...
was also a Governor and U.S. Senator as well as U.S. Representative from Rhode Island. William and brother Amasa's education at the Irving Institute in Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
, was cut short when their father was murdered on New Year's Eve in 1843 in Knightsville, Rhode Island
Knightsville, Rhode Island
-History:Knightsville is named after local inn keeper and U.S. Congressman Nehemiah Knight . The Knights were descendants of early English emigrants who were some of the earliest settlers in the area. According to at least one source:...
. The murder was considered a major event of the period, and the trial of accused killer John Gordon was marked by anti-Irish bigotry; Gordon was subsequently found guilty and executed.
Both brothers were called to work in the family business, the A.& W. Sprague Manufacturing Company, which was then under the direction of their uncle William III. When their uncle died in 1856, William and Amasa – along with their cousin Col. Byron Sprague, son of William III, and their mother Fanny Sprague and Aunt Harriet, widow of William III – became partners in the company. The second incorporation of the A. & W. Sprague Company occurred on June 2, 1859. It soon was the largest calico
Calico (fabric)
Calico is a plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may contain unseparated husk parts, for example. The fabric is less coarse and thick than canvas or denim, but owing to its unfinished and undyed appearance, it is still very cheap. Originally from the...
printing textile mill in the world. The company ran five weaving mills in New England. The Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad – of which William III had purchased controlling interest – connected the five mills to the Sprague Print Works in Cranston. The woven cloth was brought to Cranston to be printed. Sprague later became interested in linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
weaving and locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
building.
Politics
Like his uncle, William Sprague IV had an interest in politics and was elected in 1860 as the Rhode Island Union Party candidate for Governor over the Republican PartyRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
whose candidate was seen as too radical. He was re-elected in 1861 and 1862. At twenty-nine years old, he was the youngest governor of a state at that time. He was sometimes referred to as the "boy governor," a title he may have given himself while campaigning for election.
As the 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...
approached, Sprague promised U.S. President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
the support of Rhode Island. Upon Lincoln's call for volunteers in April 1861, troops left Rhode Island, and Sprague himself, believing that the war would last only 48 hours, accompanied a detachment in the First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas , was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the City of Manassas...
on July 21, 1861. The Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
victory made it clear to Sprague that the war would last longer than two days. He was offered a commission as a Brigadier General of Volunteers on August 9, 1861, though he declined the appointment. In 1862, he attended the Loyal War Governors' Conference
War Governors' Conference
The Loyal War Governors' Conference was an important political event of the American Civil War. It was held at the Logan House Hotel in Altoona, Pennsylvania on September 24 and 25, 1862. Thirteen governors of Union states came together to discuss the war effort, state troop quotas, and the...
in Altoona, Pennsylvania
Altoona, Pennsylvania
-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...
, which ultimately backed Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
and the Union war effort. Retiring from the governor's office, he was elected to two terms as US Senator from Rhode Island, taking office in 1863 and serving to 1875. He served as chairman of the committees on public lands and on manufactures and as a member of the committees on commerce and on military affairs.
Innovations and Ideas
After leaving the Senate, he resumed the direction of his manufacturing establishments. He operated the first rotary machine for making horseshoeHorseshoe
A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
s, perfected a mowing machine, and also various processes in calico printing, especially that of direct printing on a large scale with the extract of madder
Madder
Rubia is a genus of the madder family Rubiaceae, which contains about 60 species of perennial scrambling or climbing herbs and sub-shrubs native to the Old World, Africa, temperate Asia and America...
without a chemical bath. Sprague claimed to have discovered what he called the “principle of the orbit as inherent in social forces.” He asserted that money is endowed with two tendencies, the distributive and the aggregative. When the aggregative tendency predominates, as before the Civil War, decadence results; but when the distributive tendency is in the ascendancy, as it was later in the 19th century, there is progress.
Marriage to Kate Chase
Kate Chase
Katherine Jane Chase Sprague was the daughter of Ohio politician Salmon P. Chase, Treasury Secretary during President Abraham Lincoln's first administration and later Chief Justice of the United States...
, daughter of Secretary of the Treasury
United States Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, which is concerned with financial and monetary matters, and, until 2003, also with some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United...
Salmon P. Chase
Salmon P. Chase
Salmon Portland Chase was an American politician and jurist who served as U.S. Senator from Ohio and the 23rd Governor of Ohio; as U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Abraham Lincoln; and as the sixth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.Chase was one of the most prominent members...
. She was considered the belle of Washington. Sprague's wedding gift to Kate was a tiara of matched pearls and diamonds that cost more than $50,000. As the bride entered the room, the Marine Band played "The Kate Chase March" which composer Thomas Mark Clark had written for the occasion. Although their marriage began well, quarreling became more common. They had four children: William (b. 1865), Ethel (b. 1869), Catherine ("Kitty," b. 1871) (who was mentally retarded) and Portia (b. 1873).
William's financial and political fortunes rapidly deteriorated in 1873, with the financial panic. His holdings were extensive both in Rhode Island and nationally. The death of his father-in-law, Salmon P. Chase, in the same year who had become Chief Justice of the United States
Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...
, added to his family problems. Severe setbacks occurred to the A. & W. Sprague Company following the Panic of 1873
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...
. Likewise, the Spragues' marriage unravelled as William began to drink more and to criticize Kate's spending. Kate allegedly had an affair with New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
senator Roscoe Conkling
Roscoe Conkling
Roscoe Conkling was a politician from New York who served both as a member of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. He was the leader of the Stalwart faction of the Republican Party and the last person to refuse a U.S. Supreme Court appointment after he had...
. According to popular rumor, in 1879 Sprague chased Conkling off his Narragansett estate after catching him with Kate, thus ending the alleged affair.
The couple divorced in 1882. William stayed with his father and the daughters lived with Kate Chase, who took back her maiden name after the divorce. After spending some time in Europe, Kate lived with her daughters outside Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
at Edgewood
Edgewood, Washington, D.C.
Edgewood is a neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C Edgewood is bounded by Lincoln Road and Glenwood Cemetery to the west; the tracks for the Red Line of the Washington Metro to the east; Rhode Island Avenue NE to the south; and the combination of Irving Street, Michigan Avenue, and Monroe...
, her father's estate. When her only son Willie Sprague took his own life at age 25 in 1890, Kate Chase became a recluse. She died in poverty in 1899.
Marriage to Dora Inez Clavert
Following his divorce, William Sprague married Dora Inez Clavert of West Virginia in Staunton, VirginiaStaunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
, in 1883. He regained his interest in politics to become the first Narragansett, Rhode Island
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Narragansett is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 15,868 at the 2010 census, but there is a greater population in the summer. The nickname for the town is "Gansett". The town of Narragansett occupies a narrow strip of land running along the eastern bank...
Town Council President in 1900. On October 11, 1909, a fire destroyed the Sprague mansion, including Sprague's diaries and other valuable artifacts. The Spragues moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, they opened their apartment as a convalescent hospital for the wounded of all nationalities.
Sprague died September 11, 1915 of complications from meningitis a day short of his 85th birthday. Following a simple funeral services in France, his wife arranged for his body to be brought back to Rhode Island draped in an American flag. He received full military honors when laid to rest in the family tomb 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...
. He was the last living senator who had served during the Civil War.
Further reading
- Dictionary of American BiographyDictionary of American BiographyThe Dictionary of American Biography was published in New York City by Charles Scribner's Sons under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies. The first edition was published in 20 volumes from 1928 to 1936. These 20 volumes contained 15,000 biographies...
- Belden, Thomas Graham, and Marva Robins Belden. So Fell the Angels. Boston: Little, Brown Co., 1956.
- Hoffman, Charles and Hoffman, Tess. Brotherly Love: Murder and the Politics of Prejudice in Nineteenth-Century Rhode Island. Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1993
- Jordan, David M. Roscoe Conkling of New York: Voice in the Senate. Ithica and London: Cornell University Press, c.1971.
- Knight, Benjamin. History of the Sprague Families, of Rhode Island. Santa Cruz: H. Coffin, 1881.
- Lamphier, Peg A. Kate Chase and William Sprague: Politics and Gender in a Civil War Marriage. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2003.
- Shoemaker, Henry Wharton. The Last of the War Governors: A Biographical Appreciation of Colonel William Sprague. Altoona, PA: Altoona Publishing Co., 1916
- Sokoloff, Alice. Kate Chase for the Defense. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1971.
- William Sprague Papers Rhode Island Historical Society