Adin Ballou Capron (January 9, 1841 – March 17, 1911) was an American miller and politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') 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 it ...

. He served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

and was a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Early life and military career

Born in

Mendon, Massachusetts Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,228 at the 2020 census. Mendon is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, an early center of the industrial revolution in the United ...

, Capron attended Woonsocket High School and Westbrook Seminary, near

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

. He settled in Stillwater, Rhode Island, and engaged in milling and dealing in grain. He enlisted as a sergeant in the

2nd Rhode Island Regiment The 2nd Rhode Island Regiment (also known as Hitchcock's Regiment and the 11th Continental Infantry) was authorized on 6 May 1775 under Colonel Daniel Hitchcock in the Rhode Island Army of Observation and was organized on 8 May 1775 as eight c ...

of the Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry in May 1861. He was promoted to the rank of

Sergeant Major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in th ...

on July 11, 1861, and commissioned

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in September 1861. He served in the Signal Corps until the close of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, having been commissioned

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

on March 3, 1863, and subsequently promoted to the rank of captain and major by brevet.

Political career

From 1887-1892, Capron served as member of the

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, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is composed of 75 members, elected ...

, and was speaker of the State House in 1891 and 1892. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1892 to the

Fifty-third Congress The 53rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1893, ...

. Capron was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidate to the

55th United States Congress The 55th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1897, to M ...

and to the six succeeding Congresses, serving in Congress from March 4, 1897, to March 3, 1911. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1910. After leaving Congress, he resumed his former business activities in Stillwater, where he died March 17, 1911. He was interred in

Swan Point Cemetery Swan Point Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Established in 1846 on a 60-acre (0.24 km2) plot of land, it has approximately 40,000 interments. History The cemetery was first organ ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

Family life

Capron was the son of Carlile Willis Capron and Abigail (Bates) Capron. He married Irene Ballou in August 1868 and she died ten months later. Following her death, Capron married Phebe Almira Mowry in April 1874. Capron and Phebe had four children: Helen Mowry Capron, John Mowry Capon, Adin Mowry Capon and Almira Mowry Capron.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2009-05-01 *
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capron, Adin Ballou 1841 births 1911 deaths People from Mendon, Massachusetts People from Smithfield, Rhode Island People from Providence County, Rhode Island Speakers of the Rhode Island House of Representatives People of Rhode Island in the American Civil War Republican Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Westbrook College alumni Union Army officers Burials at Swan Point Cemetery Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island 19th-century American politicians Military personnel from Massachusetts