| Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the House of Representatives | |
| Government of Rhode Island | |
| Status | Presiding Officer |
| Member of | General Assembly |
| Constituting instrument | Rhode Island Constitution |
| Inaugural holder | Jonathan Holmes |
| Formation | Original Post: 1696 Current form: 1843 |
The speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives is the highest official in the Rhode Island House of Representatives.
From 1663 until 1842, Rhode Island's governing state constitution was its original colonial charter granted by King Charles II of England, a political anomaly considering that while most states during the War of Independence and afterwards wrote scores of new constitutions with their newly found independence in mind, Rhode Island instead continued with a document stamped by an English king. By the 1840s, Rhode Island was the only state whose official legal document was passed by a foreign monarch and the document essentially restricted voting rights to a very small population of elite, rural, landowning native-born white males. [1]
In September 1842, a Constitutional Convention was held at the Colony House in Newport to confront the issue of expanding suffrage. [1] When the constitution was put to a public vote in November 1842, voters rejected that voting rights should be restricted to whites only by a three to one margin, thus making Rhode Island the first state to grant suffrage to African-Americans. [1] The new constitution was ratified and the constitution became effective in May 1843. [2]
The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through the passage of a House Resolution. As well as presiding over the body, the Speaker is also the chief leadership position, and controls the flow of legislation. [3]
| Speaker | Took office | Left office | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Holmes | Oct. 1696 | Oct. 1698 | ||
| Joseph Jenckes Jr. | Oct. 1698 | Feb. 1699 | Founder of Pawtucket, Rhode Island; his son, Joseph, became the Colony's governor | |
| Benjamin Newberry | Feb. 1699 | Apr. 1700 | ||
| Jonathan Holmes | Apr. 1700 | May 1703 | ||
| Benjamin Barton | Oct. 1703 | May 1704 | ||
| John Rogers | May 1704 | Oct. 1704 | ||
| John Dexter | Oct. 1704 | May 1705 | ||
| William Wanton | May 1705 | May 1706 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| Benjamin Arnold | May 1706 | Feb. 1707 | ||
| John Wanton | Feb. 1707 | May 1707 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1734 to 1740; brother to William Wanton | |
| Joseph Jenckes | May 6, 1707 | May 28, 1707 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1732 | |
| James Greene | May 1707 | Oct. 1707 | ||
| Richard Arnold | Oct. 1707 | May 1708 | ||
| Joseph Jenckes | May 1708 | Oct. 1708 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1732 | |
| William Wanton | Oct. 1708 | May 1709 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| Simon Smith | May 1709 | Oct. 1709 | ||
| Abraham Anthony | Oct. 1709 | May 1710 | ||
| John Wanton | May 1710 | Oct. 1710 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1734 to 1740; brother to William Wanton | |
| William Wanton | Oct. 1710 | Nov. 1711 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| James Green | Nov. 1711 | Feb. 1712 | ||
| John Spencer | Feb. 1712 | May 1712 | ||
| Ebenezer Slocum | May 1712 | May 1713 | ||
| John Wanton | May 1713 | Oct. 1713 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1734 to 1740; brother to William Wanton | |
| Thomas Frye | Oct. 1713 | Oct. 1714 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| Randall Holden Jr. | Oct. 1714 | May 1715 | Son of Randall Holden, co-founder of Portsmouth and Warwick | |
| William Wanton | May 1715 | Oct. 1715 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| William Hopkins | Oct. 1715 | May 1716 | Nephew of Benedict Arnold, 1st Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island | |
| John Cranston Jr. | May 1716 | Oct. 1716 | ||
| William Wanton | Oct. 1716 | Oct. 1717 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| Thomas Frye | Oct. 1717 | May 1718 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| William Wanton | May 1718 | Oct. 1718 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| Nathaniel Sheffield | Oct. 1718 | May 1719 | ||
| William Wanton | May 1719 | May 1722 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| Thomas Frye | May 1722 | Oct. 1722 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| William Coddington III | Oct. 1722 | Feb. 1723 | Nephew of William Coddington Jr. and grandson of William Coddington, both Governors of the Colony of Rhode Island | |
| William Wanton | Feb. 1723 | May 1724 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1732 to 1733; brother to John Wanton | |
| William Coddington III | May 5, 1724 | May 6, 1724 | Nephew of William Coddington Jr. and grandson of William Coddington, both Governors of the Colony of Rhode Island | |
| Thomas Frye | May 1724 | Oct. 1724 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| William Coddington III | Oct. 1724 | Oct. 1725 | Nephew of William Coddington Jr. and grandson of William Coddington, both Governors of the Colony of Rhode Island | |
| Thomas Frye | Oct. 1725 | May 1726 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| William Coddington III | May 1726 | Oct. 1726 | Nephew of William Coddington Jr. and grandson of William Coddington, both Governors of the Colony of Rhode Island | |
| Jeremiah Gould | Oct. 1726 | Aug. 1727 | ||
| Thomas Frye | Aug. 1727 | Oct. 1727 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| Job Greene | Oct. 1727 | Apr. 1728 | ||
| Henry Bull | Apr. 1728 | May 1729 | Also served as Attorney General of Rhode Island from 1721 to 1722; was a great-grandson of Governor Henry Bull | |
| Samuel Clarke | May 1729 | Oct. 1729 | ||
| Thomas Frye | Oct. 1729 | May 1730 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1727 to 1729 | |
| Samuel Clarke | May 1730 | Oct. 1732 | ||
| George Hazard | Oct. 1732 | May 1733 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1734 to 1738; father of Carder Hazard and cousin of Robert Hazard | |
| Jeremiah Gould | May 1733 | Jun. 1733 | ||
| George Hazard | Jun. 1733 | Jul. 1733 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island from 1734 to 1738; father of Carder Hazard and cousin of Robert Hazard | |
| Jeremiah Gould | Jul. 1733 | Oct. 1733 | ||
| Samuel Clarke | Oct. 1733 | May 1734 | ||
| Henry Bull | Apr. 30, 1734 | May 5, 1734 | Also served as Attorney General of Rhode Island from 1721 to 1722; was a great-grandson of Governor Henry Bull | |
| William Greene | May 1734 | Oct. 1734 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island in 1743, serving four separate terms for a total of 11 years; father of William Greene | |
| Samuel Clarke | Oct. 1734 | Oct. 1735 | ||
| William Robinson | Oct. 1735 | May 1736 | Also served as Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1745 to 1746 and 1747 to 1748 | |
| Francis Willett | May 1736 | Oct. 1736 | ||
| Samuel Clarke | Oct. 1736 | May 1737 | ||
| Francis Willett | May 1737 | Oct. 1737 | ||
| Daniel Abbott | Oct. 1737 | May 1738 | Also served as Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1738 to 1740 | |
| Thomas Spenser | May 1738 | Oct. 1738 | ||
| Stephen Hopkins | Oct. 1738 | May 1739 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence [4] | |
| Francis Willett | May 1739 | Jul. 1739 | ||
| William Greene | Jul. 1739 | Oct. 1739 | Also served as Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island in 1743, serving four separate terms for a total of 11 years; father of William Greene | |
| Stephen Hopkins | Oct. 1739 | May 1740 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence [4] | |
| Samuel Clarke | May 1740 | May 1741 | ||
| Stephen Hopkins | May 1741 | Jun. 1741 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence [4] | |
| Joseph Whipple | Jun. 1741 | Aug. 1741 | Also served as Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1743 to 1745 and 1746 to 1747; son of Col. Joseph Whipple | |
| Stephen Hopkins | Aug. 1741 | Oct. 1741 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence [4] | |
| William Robinson | Oct. 1741 | Oct. 1742 | Also served as Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1745 to 1746 and 1747 to 1748 | |
| Stephen Hopkins | Oct. 1742 | May 1743 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence [4] | |
| John Potter | May 1743 | Oct. 1743 | ||
| Joseph Stafford | Oct. 1743 | May 1744 | ||
| Stephen Hopkins | May 1744 | Nov. 1744 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence [4] | |
| Peter Bours | Nov. 1744 | Oct. 1746 | ||
| Jeremiah Niles | Oct. 1746 | Feb. 1747 | ||
| Samuel Wickham | Feb. 1747 | Oct. 1747 | ||
| Daniel Jencks | Oct. 1747 | Oct. 1748 | ||
| Thomas Cranston | Oct. 1748 | May 1749 | Also served as Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1762 to 1764 | |
| Stephen Hopkins | May 1749 | Aug. 1749 | Founding Father of the United States, also served as Governor and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence [4] | |
| Joshua Babcock | Aug. 1749 | May 1750 | Also served as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court in 1763 and from 1749 to 1751 | |
| Thomas Cranston | May 1750 | May 1757 | Also served as Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1762 to 1764 | |
| Benjamin Wickham | May 1757 | Oct. 1757 | ||
| Peter Bours | Oct. 1757 | May 1759 | ||
| Joshua Babcock | May 1759 | Oct. 1759 | Also served as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court in 1763 and from 1749 to 1751 | |
| Job Randal | Oct. 1759 | May 1760 | ||
| Thomas Cranston | May 1760 | May 1762 | Also served as Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1762 to 1764 | |
| Daniel Aryault Jr. | May 1762 | Oct. 1762 | ||
| Philip Greene | Oct. 1762 | May 1763 | ||
| John Dexter | May 1763 | May 1764 | ||
| Daniel Aryault | May 1764 | Oct. 1764 | ||
| William Bradford | Oct. 1764 | Oct. 1765 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1793 to 1797 and Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1775 to 1778 |
| Richard Bailey | Oct. 1765 | May 1766 | ||
| William Bradford | May 1766 | May 1767 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1793 to 1797 and Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1775 to 1778 |
| John Cole | May 1767 | Feb. 1768 | Also served as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1764 to 1765 | |
| Metcalf Bowler | Feb. 1768 | Nov. 1776 | Also served as justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1768 to 1769, 1770 to 1776, and as Chief Justice from 1776 to 1777 |
| Speaker | Took office | Left office | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Greene | Nov. 1776 | May 1778 | Also served as 2nd Governor of Rhode Island 1778 to 1786 and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1777 to 1778; son of William Greene | |
| Joshua Babcock | May 1778 | Sep. 1778 | Also served as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court in 1763 and from 1749 to 1751 | |
| Stephen Potter | Sep. 1778 | May 1779 | Also served as Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1764 to 1765, 1767 to 1768, and 1779 to 1780 | |
| Othniel Gorton | May 1779 | May 1780 | Also served as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1788 to 1791 | |
| William Bradford | May 1780 | Jun. 1780 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1793 to 1797 and Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1775 to 1778 |
| Welcome Arnold | Jun. 1780 | Jul. 1780 | ||
| William Bradford | Jul. 1780 | Oct. 1786 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1793 to 1797 and Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1775 to 1778 |
| Othniel Gorton | Oct. 1786 | Oct. 1788 | Also served as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1788 to 1791 | |
| Joseph Stanton Jr. | Oct. 1788 | Oct. 1789 | Anti-Administration | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1790 to 1793 and U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1801 to 1807 |
| William Bradford | Oct. 1789 | May 1790 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1793 to 1797 and Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1775 to 1778 |
| Joseph Stanton Jr. | May 1790 | Oct. 1790 | Anti-Administration | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1790 to 1793 and U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1801 to 1807 |
| Welcome Arnold | Oct. 1790 | May 1791 | ||
| William Bradford | May 1791 | May 1793 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1793 to 1797 and Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1775 to 1778 |
| Welcome Arnold | May 1793 | May 1795 | ||
| Joseph Stanton Jr. | May 1795 | Oct. 1795 | Anti-Administration | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1790 to 1793 and U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1801 to 1807 |
| Elisha Reynolds Potter | Oct. 1795 | Feb. 1797 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1796 to 1797 and 1809 to 1815; father of U.S. Representative Elisha R. Potter |
| Joseph Stanton Jr. | Feb. 1797 | May 1797 | Anti-Administration | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1790 to 1793 and U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1801 to 1807 |
| George Champlin | May 1797 | Oct. 1798 | ||
| William Bradford | Oct. 1798 | May 1802 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1793 to 1797 and Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1775 to 1778 |
| Elisha Reynolds Potter | May 1802 | Oct. 1802 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1796 to 1797 and 1809 to 1815; father of U.S. Representative Elisha R. Potter |
| Constant Taber | Oct. 1802 | Oct. 1805 | ||
| Isaac Wilbour | Oct. 1805 | May 1806 | Democratic-Republican | Also served as Governor of Rhode Island from 1806 to 1807, U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1807 to 1809, Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1819 to 1827 |
| Elisha Reynolds Potter | May 1806 | Feb. 1809 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1796 to 1797 and 1809 to 1815; father of U.S. Representative Elisha R. Potter |
| William Jones | May 1809 | May 1810 | Federalist | Also served as Governor of Rhode Island from 1811 to 1817 |
| Nathaniel Hazard | May 1810 | Oct. 1810 | Democratic-Republican | Also served as U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1819 to 1820 |
| William Jones | Oct. 1810 | May 1811 | Federalist | Also served as Governor of Rhode Island from 1811 to 1817 |
| William Hunter | May 1811 | Feb. 1812 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1811 to 1821, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires/Minister to Brazil from 1835 to 1843 |
| James B. Mason | Feb. 1812 | May 1814 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1815 to 1819 |
| James Burrill Jr. | May 1814 | Oct. 1816 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1817 to 1820, Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1816 to 1817, Attorney General of Rhode Island from 1797 to 1814 |
| Benjamin Hazard | Oct. 1816 | May 1818 | ||
| Nathaniel Hazard | May 1818 | May 1819 | Democratic-Republican | Also served as U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1819 to 1820 |
| James DeWolf | May 1819 | May 1821 | Federalist | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1821 to 1825 |
| Elisha Mathewson | May 1821 | Oct. 1821 | Democratic-Republican | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1807 to 1811 |
| Albert C. Greene | Oct. 1821 | May 1822 | Whig | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1845 to 1851 and Attorney General of Rhode Island from 1825 to 1843 |
| Elisha Mathewson | May 1822 | Oct. 1822 | Democratic-Republican | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1807 to 1811 |
| Albert C. Greene | Oct. 1822 | May 1825 | Whig | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1845 to 1851 and Attorney General of Rhode Island from 1825 to 1843 |
| Nathaniel Bullock | May 1825 | May 1826 | Democratic-Republican | Also served as Lt. Gov. of Rhode Island from 1842 to 1843 |
| Samuel W. Bridgham | May 1826 | Oct. 1826 | Whig | Also served as Attorney General of Rhode Island from 1814 to 1817 and Mayor of Providence from 1832 to 1840 |
| Nathan B. Sprague | Oct. 1826 | Oct. 1827 | ||
| Job Durfee | Oct. 1827 | May 1829 | Democratic-Republican | Also served as U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1821 to 1825 and Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1835 to 1847; father of Thomas Durfee |
| Joseph L. Tillinghast | May 1829 | Oct. 1832 | Whig | Also served as U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1837 to 1843 |
| William Sprague III | Oct. 1832 | May 1835 | Whig | Also served as U.S. Senator from 1842 to 1844 and U.S. Representative from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1835 to 1837 and Governor of Rhode Island from 1838 to 1839 |
| Henry Y. Cranston | May 1835 | Oct. 1835 | Law and Order, Whig | Also served in U.S. House of Representatives from the 1st district from 1843 to 1847 |
| Christopher Allen | Oct. 1835 | Oct. 1836 | ||
| Samuel Y. Atwell | Oct. 1836 | Oct. 1837 | ||
| George Curtis | Oct. 1837 | May 1839 | Also served as President of the Continental Bank of New York | |
| Henry Y. Cranston | May 1839 | May 1841 | Law and Order, Whig | Also served in U.S. House of Representatives from the 1st district from 1843 to 1847 |
| Charles Jackson | May 1841 | May 1842 | Whig | Also served as Governor of Rhode Island from 1845 to 1846 |
| Richard K. Randolph | May 1842 | Oct. 1842 | ||
| Alfred Bosworth | Oct. 1842 | May 1844 | Whig | Also served as Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1854 to 1862 |
| Samuel Ames | May 1844 | May 1845 | Also served as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1856 to 1865 | |
| George Gordon King | May 1845 | May 1846 | Whig | Also served in U.S. House of Representatives from the 1st district from 1849 to 1853 |
| Robert B. Cranston | May 1846 | May 1847 | Also served in U.S. House of Representatives from the 1st district from 1847 to 1849 and from Rhode Island's at-large district from 1837 to 1843 | |
| William S. Patten | May 1847 | May 1848 | ||
| Sylvester G. Shearman | May 1848 | May 1849 | ||
| James C. Hidden | May 1849 | May 1851 | ||
| Alfred Bosworth | May 1851 | May 1853 | Whig | Also served as Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1854 to 1862 |
| Thomas Steere | May 1853 | Jan. 1854 | ||
| Benjamin F. Thurston | Jan. 1854 | May 1854 | ||
| Henry Y. Cranston | May 1854 | May 1855 | Law and Order, Whig | Also served in U.S. House of Representatives from the 1st district from 1843 to 1847 |
| Benjamin Fessenden | May 1855 | May 1856 | ||
| Benjamin F. Thurston | May 1856 | May 1857 | ||
| Sullivan Ballou | May 1857 | May 1858 | Republican | Also served as a Major in the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry |
| Charles C. Van Zandt | May 1858 | May 1859 | Republican | Also served as Governor of Rhode Island from 1877 to 1880 |
| Wingate Hayes | May 1859 | May 1860 | Also served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island from 1861 to 1871 | |
| Caesar A. Updike | May 1860 | May 1862 | ||
| Francis W. Miner | May 1862 | May 1863 | ||
| Thomas Durfee | May 1863 | May 1864 | Also served as Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1875 to 1891; son of Job Durfee | |
| Benjamin F. Thurston | May 1864 | Jan. 1865 | ||
| Alexander Farnum | Jan. 1865 | May 1865 | ||
| George L. Clarke | May 1865 | May 1866 | Republican | Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 1869 to 1870 |
| Charles C. Van Zandt | May 1866 | May 1869 | Republican | Also served as Governor of Rhode Island from 1877 to 1880 |
| Benjamin T. Eames | May 1869 | May 1870 | Republican | Also served in U.S. House of Representatives from the 1st district |
| Amos Barstow | May 1870 | May 1871 | Whig | Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 1852 to 1853 |
| Charles C. Van Zandt | May 1871 | May 1873 | Republican | Also served as Governor of Rhode Island from 1877 to 1880 |
| Edwin Metcalf | 1873 | 1874 | Also served as Attorney General of Rhode Island | |
| Edward L. Freeman | 1874 | 1876 | ||
| Nelson W. Aldrich | 1876 | 1877 | Republican | Also served as a U.S. Senator and in U.S. House of Representatives from the 1st district |
| Dexter B. Potter | 1877 | 1879 | President of the Providence Telephone Co. | |
| Henry J. Spooner | 1879 | 1881 | Republican | Also served in U.S. House of Representatives from the 1st district |
| John P. Sanborn | 1881 | 1882 | ||
| Francello G. Jillson | 1883 | 1885 | ||
| Ellery H. Wilson | 1885 | 1887 | ||
| Charles E. Gorman | 1887 | 1888 | ||
| George H. Utter | 1888 | 1889 | Republican | Also served as Governor of Rhode Island, Lt. Gov. of Rhode Island, Secretary of State of Rhode Island, in the U.S. House from the 2nd district, and in the Rhode Island Senate |
| Augustus S. Miller | 1889 | 1891 | Democratic | Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 1903 to 1905 |
| Adin B. Capron | 1891 | 1893 | Republican | Also served in U.S. House of Representatives from the 2nd district |
| Franklin P. Owen | 1893 | 1894 | ||
| Samuel W. K. Allen | 1894 | 1897 | ||
| J. Edward Studley | 1897 | 1898 | ||
| Frank E. Holden | 1898 | 1901 | ||
| James H. Armington | 1901 | 1903 | ||
| Joseph P. Burlingame | 1903 | 1906 | ||
| Arthur W. Dennis | 1906 | 1907 | Republican | Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island from 1909 to 1910 |
| Roswell B. Burchard | 1907 | 1911 | ||
| William C. Bliss | 1911 | 1912 | Republican | |
| Ambrose Kennedy | 1912 | 1913 | Republican | Also served in U.S. House of Representatives from the 3rd district |
| Frank F. Davis | 1913 | 1915 | Republican | |
| Frank H. Hammill | 1915 | 1919 | Republican | |
| Arthur P. Summer | 1919 | 1920 | Republican | |
| William R. Fortin | 1920 | 1923 | Republican | |
| Philip C. Joslin | 1923 | 1927 | Republican | |
| Roy Willard Rawlings | 1927 | 1933 | Republican | Father of Rob Roy Rawlings and Lucy Rawlings Tootell |
| William E. Reddy | 1933 | 1937 | Democratic | |
| James H. Kiernan | 1937 | 1939 | Democratic | |
| Hugo A. Clason | 1939 | 1941 | Republican | |
| Harry F. Curvin | 1941 | 1964 | Democratic | |
| Alfred U. Menard | 1964 | 1965 | Democratic | |
| John J. Wrenn | 1965 | 1969 | Democratic | |
| Joseph A. Bevilacqua | 1969 | 1976 | Democratic | Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court |
| John J. Skiffington Jr. | 1976 | 1977 | Democratic | |
| Edward P. Manning | 1977 | 1980 | Democratic | |
| Matthew J. Smith | 1980 | 1988 | Democratic | |
| Joseph DeAngelis | 1988 | 1992 | Democratic | |
| John B. Harwood | 1993 | 2002 | Democratic | |
| William J. Murphy | 2003 | 2010 | Democratic | |
| Gordon Fox | 2010 | 2014 | Democratic | Resigned following an FBI raid on his office and home |
| Nicholas Mattiello | 2014 | 2021 | Democratic | |
| Joe Shekarchi | 2021 | Present | Democratic |
Rhode Island is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020; but Rhode Island has grown at every decennial count since 1790 and is the second-most densely populated state, after New Jersey. The state takes its name from the eponymous island, though nearly all its land area is on the mainland. Rhode Island borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound; and shares a small maritime border with New York, east of Long Island. Providence is its capital and most populous city.
The Dorr Rebellion (1841–1842) was an attempt by disenfranchised residents to force broader democracy in the U.S. state of Rhode Island, where a small rural elite was in control of government. It was led by Thomas Wilson Dorr, who mobilized the disenfranchised to demand changes to the state's electoral rules. The state was still using its 1663 colonial charter as a constitution; it required that voters own land as qualification to vote. The rebellion established a parallel government alongside the existing chartered government and wrote a new constitution for Rhode Island. Although the rebellion was crushed militarily, it forced the rewriting of the state constitution to expand eligibility to vote.
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. Members are elected in the general election immediately preceding the beginning of the term or in special elections called to fill vacancies. There are no term limits for either chamber. The last General Assembly election took place on November 3, 2020.
Thomas Wilson Dorr, was an American politician and reformer in Rhode Island, best known for leading the Dorr Rebellion.
Arthur Fenner was an American politician who served as the fourth Governor of Rhode Island from 1790 until his death in 1805. He has the seventh longest gubernatorial tenure in post-Constitutional U.S. history at 5,641 days. Fenner was a prominent Country Party (Anti-federalist) leader. Around 1764, Fenner joined several others as a petitioner for the chartering of the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
The history of Rhode Island is an overview of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and the state of Rhode Island from pre-colonial times to the present.
The Law and Order Party of Rhode Island was a short-lived political party in the U.S. state of Rhode Island in the 1840s, brought into existence as a consequence of the Dorr Rebellion.
The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by the Judicial Nominating Commission. Each justice enjoys lifetime tenure and no mandatory retirement age, similar to Federal judges. Justices may be removed only if impeached for improper conduct by a vote of the Rhode Island House of Representatives and convicted by trial in the Rhode Island Senate.
The Constitution of the State of Rhode Island is a document describing the structure and function of the government of the U.S. State of Rhode Island.
The Old Colony House, also known as Old State House or Newport Colony House, is located at the east end of Washington Square in the city of Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It is a brick Georgian-style building completed in 1741, and was the meeting place for the colonial legislature. From independence in 1776 to the early 20th century, the state legislature alternated its sessions between here and the Rhode Island State House in Providence.
Since the Great Depression, Rhode Island politics have been dominated by the Rhode Island Democratic Party, and the state is considered part of the Democrats' "Blue Wall." Democrats have won all but four presidential elections since 1928, with the exceptions being 1952, 1956, 1972, and 1984. The Rhode Island Republican Party, although virtually non-existent in the Rhode Island General Assembly, has remained competitive in gubernatorial elections, having won one as recently as 2006. Until 2014, Democrats did not win a gubernatorial election in the state since 1992, and it was not until 2018 that they won one by double digits. The Rhode Island General Assembly has continuously been under Democratic control since 1959.
John Smith was an early colonial settler and President of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He lived in Boston, but was later an inhabitant of Warwick in the Rhode Island colony where he was a merchant, stonemason, and served as assistant. In 1649 he was selected to be President of the colony, then consisting of four towns. In 1652 he was once again chosen President, but the two towns on Rhode Island had been pulled out of the joint colony, so he only presided over the towns of Providence and Warwick. An important piece of legislation enacted during this second term in 1652 abolished the slavery of African Americans, the first such law in North America.
Walter Clarke (1640–1714) was an early governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and the first native-born governor of the colony. The son of colonial President Jeremy Clarke, he was a Quaker like his father. His mother was Frances (Latham) Clarke, who is often called "the Mother of Governors." While in his late 20s, he was elected as a deputy from Newport, and in 1673 was elected to his first of three consecutive terms as assistant. During King Philip's War, he was elected to his first term as governor of the colony. He served for one year in this role, dealing with the devastation of the war, and with the predatory demands of neighboring colonies on Rhode Island territory during the aftermath of the war.
The Rhode Island Royal Charter provided royal recognition to the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, approved by England's King Charles II in July 1663. It outlined many freedoms for the inhabitants of Rhode Island and was the guiding document of the colony's government over a period of 180 years.
Randall Holden was an early inhabitant of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, one of the original founders of Portsmouth, and one of the co-founders of the town of Warwick. He came to New England from Salisbury, Wiltshire, England and is first recorded as one of the signers of the Portsmouth Compact. Following a few years on Aquidneck Island, he joined Samuel Gorton and ten others to establish the town of Warwick in early 1643 on land purchased from the Indian sachems.
John J. DeSimone is an American politician, a former Democratic member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives who represented House District 6 from January 1993 until January 2003 and District 5 from January 2003 to January 2017. DeSimone was narrowly defeated in the 2016 Democratic primary by progressive candidate Marcia Ranglin-Vassell, ending his 24 year tenure in the General Assembly.
Even before women's suffrage in Rhode Island efforts took off, women were fighting for equal male suffrage during the Dorr Rebellion. Women raised money for the Dorrite cause, took political action and kept members of the rebellion in exile informed. An abolitionist, Paulina Wright Davis, chaired and attended women's rights conferences in New England and later, along with Elizabeth Buffum Chace, founded the Rhode Island Women's Suffrage Association (RIWSA) in 1868. This group petitioned the Rhode Island General Assembly for an amendment to the state constitution to provide women's suffrage. For many years, RIWSA was the major group providing women's suffrage action in Rhode Island. In 1887, a women's suffrage amendment to the state constitution came up for a voter referendum. The vote, on April 6, 1887, was decisively against women's suffrage.
This is a timeline of women's suffrage in Rhode Island. Women's suffrage in Rhode Island started with women's rights activities, such as convention planning and publications of women's rights journals. The first women's suffrage group in Rhode Island was founded in 1868. A women's suffrage amendment was decided by referendum on April 6, 1887, but it failed by a large amount. Finally, in 1917, Rhode Island women gained the right to vote in presidential elections. On January 6, 1920, Rhode Island became the twenty-fourth state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment.
Alfred Niger was a free Black activist who lived in Providence, Rhode Island and worked as a barber. Niger was a leading influential figure in the movement for Black suffrage in early 19th century Rhode Island, during the onset of the Dorr Rebellion.
