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Aram Jules Pothier (July 26, 1854 – February 4, 1928) was an American
Pothier's father purchased a home on Pond Street around 1881, and Aram Pothier lived in the modest 1.5-story home until his death (while serving as governor) in 1928.
He was a clerk for former Congressman
Aram Jules Pothier Monument
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pothier, Aram J. Canadian emigrants to the United States 1928 deaths Republican Party governors of Rhode Island Lieutenant Governors of Rhode Island People from Woonsocket, Rhode Island American people of Québécois descent 1854 births Politicians from Quebec City Mayors of places in Rhode Island Republican Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Burials in Rhode Island Catholics from Rhode Island
bank
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Because ...
er and politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
of French Canadian
French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
descent. He served as the 51st and 55th 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 ...
.
Personal life
Pothier was born inQuebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
, Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, Canada, the son of Jules Pothier and Domiltilde (Dallaire) Pothier. He attended the common schools in Canada and graduated from Nicolet College in Quebec. At the time of his graduation, his parents had already moved to Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Woonsocket ( ), is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 43,240 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Being Rhode Island's northernmost city, Woonsock ...
, and he moved to Woonsocket to join them.
Pothier's father purchased a home on Pond Street around 1881, and Aram Pothier lived in the modest 1.5-story home until his death (while serving as governor) in 1928.
He was a clerk for former Congressman Latimer W. Ballou
Latimer Whipple Ballou (March 1, 1812 – May 9, 1900) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Rhode Island.
Biography
Latimer Whipple Ballou was born in Cumberland, Rhode Island on March 1, 1812. He attended the ...
at the Woonsocket Institute for Savings.
Pothier met his wife Françoise de Charmigny in Paris at the 1900 Paris Exhibition. They were married in 1902 in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...
. He is a descendant of Zacharie Cloutier
Zacharie Cloutier (c. 1590 – September 17, 1677) was a French carpenter who immigrated to New France in 1634 in the first wave of the Percheron immigration from the former province of Perche, to an area that is today part of Quebec, Canada ...
.
Political career
He began his political career in 1885 as a Republican member of the Woonsocket School Committee. He was appointed by Governor Taft to the 1889 Paris Exposition. Pothier was a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1887 to 1888, and served as city auditor from 1889 to 1894. He was mayor of Woonsocket from 1894 to 1895, and declined renomination. From 1897 to 1898 he served asLieutenant Governor of Rhode Island
The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after Daniel McKee succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown.
In Rhode Island, the lieutenant gover ...
, during the first year that Elisha Dyer, Jr.
Elisha Dyer Jr. (November 29, 1839November 29, 1906) was a Rhode Island politician who was 45th Governor of Rhode Island from 1897 to 1900. He was the son of Elisha Dyer, Governor of Rhode Island from 1857 to 1859.
Early life
Dyer was born in ...
was governor. After his term as lieutenant governor, he retired from public office, but returned as a member of the Rhode Island Board of Education in 1907. Governor Dyer appointed him to the 1900 Paris Exhibition.
Pothier was elected Governor of Rhode Island in 1908 and entered into service on January 5, 1909. He was reelected to three more one-year terms. At that time, biennial elections replaced annual elections for state officials, and Pothier won the first election for a two-year term as governor in 1912. He retired after this term, on January 5, 1915, when he was succeeded by fellow Republican Robert Livingston Beeckman. In 1915, retiring from politics, he became President of the Woonsocket Institute for Savings and the Providence Union Trust Company. He was again drafted by the Republican Party to run for governor in 1924. He won that election and reelection in 1926, serving from January 6, 1925, until his death on February 4, 1928. He was the first Rhode Island governor of French Canadian descent.
Death and legacy
He died on February 4, 1928, in Woonsocket and is interred in Precious Blood Cemetery in Woonsocket. In 2010, he was inducted into theAmerican-French Genealogical Society
The American-French Genealogical Society (AFGS) was established in 1978 as a genealogical and historical organization for French-Canadian research. It was founded by members of the Le Foyer Club in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States. Its head ...
Hall of Fame.
See also
*Pothier House
The Pothier House is a historic house in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. This modest L-shaped -story cottage is notable as the longtime home of Woonsocket mayor (and later Governor of Rhode Island) Aram J. Pothier. Pothier's father purchased the hou ...
*List of U.S. state governors born outside the United States
In total, 72 governors of U.S. states have been born outside the current territory of the United States. Joe Lombardo of Nevada, born in Japan, is the only current governor to have been born outside the United States. Arnold Schwarzenegger o ...
References
External links
Aram Jules Pothier Monument
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pothier, Aram J. Canadian emigrants to the United States 1928 deaths Republican Party governors of Rhode Island Lieutenant Governors of Rhode Island People from Woonsocket, Rhode Island American people of Québécois descent 1854 births Politicians from Quebec City Mayors of places in Rhode Island Republican Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Burials in Rhode Island Catholics from Rhode Island