Amasa Sprague (April 10, 1798 – December 31, 1843) was an American businessman and politician from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. He co-founded the A & W Sprague textile firm with his brother

William Sprague III William Sprague, also known as William III or William Sprague III (November 3, 1799October 19, 1856), 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. H ...

. He was murdered on

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

, 1843.

Business career

Sprague was born on April 10, 1798 in

Cranston, Rhode Island Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island. The official population of the city in the 2020 United States Census was 82,934, making it the second largest in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island i ...

. He began his career working father William Sprague II’s cotton mill. As the elder Sprague's business expanded, Amasa assisted his father in purchasing raw materials and selling the finished product. William Sprague II died on March 28, 1836 and after their father's will was settled, Sprague and his brother William Sprague III founded A & W Sprague to continue the cotton and calico business. Amasa Sprague was the senior partner and superintendent of the print works. Sprague represented Cranston in 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 t ...

in 1832, 1840, and 1841.

Personal life

Sprague and his wife, Fanny Morgan had four children *Mary Anna Sprague, wife of John E. Nichols (first) and Frank W. Latham (second) *Almyra Sprague, wife of

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 Bay ...

mayor Thomas A. Doyle * Amasa Sprague Jr., founder of

Narragansett Park Narragansett Park was an American race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Beginnings On May 18, 1934, Rhode Island voters approved a measure legalizing parimutuel betting by an almost 3 to 1 margin. The following day, ...

William Sprague IV William Sprague IV (September 12, 1830September 11, 1915) was the 27th Governor of Rhode Island from 1860 to 1863, and U.S. Senator from 1863 to 1875. He participated in the First Battle of Bull Run during the American Civil War while he was a ...

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, o ...

and

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

Murder

On December 31, 1843, Sprague was shot in the arm and beaten to death by at least two men. The motive was not robbery, as $60 and a gold watch was found on Sprague's body. Nicholas Gordon, a tavern owner whose liquor license had been revoked by the Cranston city council at Sprague's insistence, and his brothers William and John Gordon were tried for the murder.McKay, Scott
"Judge's old notes shed light on last execution in R.I."
''

Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, Rhode Island, and is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspape ...

''. May 25, 2008. William was found not guilty and Nicholas' two trials ended in a hung jury, but John Gordon was found guilty and executed on February 14, 1845. Gordon’s conviction has been ascribed by researchers to anti-

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and anti-

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

bias, and in 2011 he was granted a posthumous pardon.Erika Niedowski
"RI governor pardons Irish man hanged in 1845"

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

, 2011-06-29.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sprague, Amasa 1798 births 1843 deaths American murder victims American textile industry businesspeople Members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives People from Cranston, Rhode Island