Royal C. Taft

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Royal Chapin Taft (February 14, 1823 – June 4, 1912) was a 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] Notes

  1. ^ According to [1], he was at that time resident in New York.
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ See footnote 4 on [3], which describes Mrs. Taft giving the school 169 prints from his collection in 1945.
  4. ^ Mentioned in [4], which is otherwise irrelevant

[edit] References

Preceded by
John W. Davis		 Governor of Rhode Island
1888–1889		 Succeeded by
Herbert W. Ladd
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Governors of Rhode Island
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