Henry Augustus Stearns (October 23, 1825 – October 8, 1910) brought steam laundry to California, was a cotton wadding mill owner in Rhode Island, and a

Lieutenant 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 ...

Early life

Stearns was born October 23, 1825, in

Billerica, Massachusetts Billerica (, ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 42,119 according to the 2020 census. It takes its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England. History In the early 1630s, a Praying Indian ...

, the seventh generation of an old New England family which traced its ancestry back to Isaac Stearns, who settled in Watertown, Massachusetts from England in 1630. He attended

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

for two years, then worked as a shoemaker and as a clerk in a general store until he was 20 years old. Before long, Stearns moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, to join his brother George S. manufacturing cotton wadding, in the first such factory west of the Allegheny Mountains.

Wandering years

In 1850, Henry, feeling wanderlust, sold out his interest in the cotton wadding factory to his brother, and headed to California to join in the gold rush. He decided he would transport a steam boiler and machinery, with the intent to start a steam laundry in San Francisco. This required a land transport across the

isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama ( es, Istmo de Panamá), also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien (), is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country ...

on the backs of men, then a sea voyage on an old whaling ship which sprang a leak, became disabled and set adrift. By the time the crew arrived in San Francisco four months later, the Stearns and the crew were near-starving. A doctor told Stearns he would not live. However, Stearns did recover. He set up the first steam laundry in California, became very successful, and then sold his share. He then moved on to operate a steam ferry boat named "Hector" between San Francisco and

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

. He then moved on to the redwoods district and opened a steam sawmill. In 1853, Stearns returned to Cincinnati, then moved a few more times, including Buffalo, New York and then Sangamon County, Illinois.

Rhode Island

In 1861, Stearns moved to the state where he would remain the rest of his life: Rhode Island. There, he teamed with Pawtucket industrialist Darius Goff, manufacturing cotton wadding at the Union Wadding Company. Stearns became superintendent of the company in 1870, and president in 1891.

Political life

Stearns was a lifelong Republican. He represented Lincoln in both houses of the State Legislature; first from 1878 to 1881 and again from 1887 to 1888. He was Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island from 1891 to 1892.

Personal life

Stearns married Kate Falconer of

Hamilton, Ohio Hamilton is a city in and the county seat of Butler County, Ohio, United States. Located north of Cincinnati, Hamilton is the second largest city in the Greater Cincinnati area and the 10th largest city in Ohio. The population was 63,399 at th ...

in 1856. Their children were: Deshler Falconer, George Russell, Walter Henry, Kate Russell, Justice Charles Falconer Stearns, Henry Foster, Anna Russell, who died in infancy, and Caroline. After 1862, the Stearns family lived in Central Falls, Rhode Island. His personal library was said to be among the finest in the state. Stearns was a

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; a member of the Sons of the American Revolution; and a member of the

Society of Colonial Wars The Society of Colonial Wars is a hereditary society composed of men who trace their descents from forebears who, in military, naval, or civil positions of high trust and responsibility, by acts or counsel, assisted in the establishment, defense, ...

. He was also a member of the

Central Falls Congregational Church Central Falls Congregational Church is an historic church located in Central Falls, Rhode Island. This Shingle style wood-frame structure was built in 1883 to serve a local Congregationalist congregation which was established in 1820 and had o ...

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stearns, Henry Augustus 1825 births 1910 deaths Burials at Swan Point Cemetery People from Central Falls, Rhode Island People from Billerica, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governors of Rhode Island American Congregationalists American people of English descent American Freemasons Members of the Sons of the American Revolution Phillips Academy alumni 19th-century American politicians