Augustus O. Bourn
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Augustus Osborn Bourn (October 1, 1834January 29, 1925) was an American politician and the 36th
Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Democrat Dan McKee. In their capac ...
.


Early life

Bourn was born in
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 ...
, on October 1, 1834. He was the son of George O. Bourn and Huldah B. (Eddy) Bourn and married Elizabeth R. Morrill February 24, 1863. He and his wife had five children. He graduated from
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
and later established a successful career in rubber business, where he started in his father's company. He continued the business after his father's death and incorporated it as the Providence Rubber Company. He also founded the National Rubber Company, which later merged with the former company.


Military service

During the Civil War, Bourne enlisted in the Rhode Island Militia but did not see active service with the
Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
. On April 18, 1864, he was elected as paymaster, with rank of 2nd lieutenant, in the Providence Horse Guards (PHG). On April 17, 1865, he was commissioned a first lieutenant in Company A of the PHG. On April 20, 1868, he was elected as captain of Company A and two years later he became captain of Company B. In 1871 he returned his previous position as captain of Company A. On April 20, 1874, he was commissioned as major of the PHG. On May 13, 1878, he was commissioned as lieutenant colonel in command of the 1st Squadron of Cavalry. He held that position until he took office as Governor of Rhode Island in 1883.


Political career

Bourn was a Republican and was member of the
Rhode Island State Senate The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the lower house being the Rhode Island House of Representatives. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of w ...
in 1876–83 and again in 1886–88. He held the governor's office from May 29, 1883, to May 26, 1885. During his administration, a constitutional amendment was proposed to extend suffrage to naturalized citizens. He was the author of this amendment. Later this constitutional amendment became well known as the Bourn Amendment. Bourn was an active member of the
Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
.


Later years

In 1873, Bourn built an opulent Gothic revival mansion in Bristol named Seven Oaks. The mansion was designed by James Renwick, best known for designing the
Smithsonian Castle The Smithsonian Institution Building, located near the National Mall in Washington, D.C. behind the National Museum of African Art and the Sackler Gallery, houses the Smithsonian Institution's administrative offices and information center. The ...
and St. Patrick's Cathedral, and is located at 136 Hope Street near the Herreshoff boat yard. Bourn was United States Consul General in Rome from 1889 until 1893 under the administration of President
Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...
. In 1897 he was elected as a compatriot of the Rhode Island Society of the
Sons of the American Revolution The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. A non-profit corporation, it has described its purpose ...
. Governor Bourn died on January 29, 1925 and was buried at
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 ...
in Providence.The Political Graveyard
as above.


Sources

* Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. ''Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978''. Greenwood Press, 1988.


References


External links

*
Bourn's mansion
at 136 Hope St, Bristol Rhode Island {{DEFAULTSORT:Bourn, Augustus 1834 births 1925 deaths Republican Party governors of Rhode Island Republican Party Rhode Island state senators Brown University alumni Burials at Swan Point Cemetery