Henry Fletcher (January 17, 1859 – August 26, 1953) was the 25th mayor 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 ...

Personal life

Henry Fletcher was born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, on January 17, 1859. His family moved to

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, when Henry was a small boy. By 1873, the family moved to Providence Rhode Island, where Henry attended public schools. He studied at Scholfield's Commercial College, a business school in Providence. Henry Fletcher married Hattie E. Bennett in 1883. She died in 1935. Three sons outlived him: Henry B. Fletcher Sr; R. Leslie Fletcher, president of the Providence Gas Company; and Paul W. Fletcher. A fourth son, Col. Edward G. Fletcher, died shortly after World War II.

Career

In 1881, Fletcher entered the

jewelry Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a western ...

industry, which was a large and important industry in Providence at the time. He partnered with Edward G. Burrows, Jr. to form Fletcher Burrows and Co. Burrows died in 1893. Fletcher was director of the Jewelers' Board of Trade. In 1898, Fletcher was elected as a Republican councilman from the Eighth Ward, then from 1901 to 1906 he represented the Seventh Ward. He was president of the Board of Aldermen in 1908. In 1908, Fletcher defeated Democratic incumbent Patrick J. McCarthy to win the mayor's office. He was re-elected in 1909, beating State Senator James H. Thurston. In 1910 he defeated Joseph E. Cole, and in 1911 he beat Joseph H. Gainer. Fletcher ran again in 1912 and 1916, losing both times. Subsequently, Fletcher retired from elective politics but remained active in the Republican Party. As mayor, Fletcher: * Backed the construction of the

Scituate Reservoir The Scituate Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in the state of Rhode Island. It has an aggregate capacity of and a surface area of 5.3 square miles (13.7 km²). It and its six tributary reservoirs—which make up a total surface a ...

* Developed the Port of Providence * Acquired land for the municipal pier * Deepened Providence's harbor * Supported efforts to attract the business of the

Fabre Line The Fabre Line or Compagnie Francaise de Navigation a Vapeur Cyprien Fabre & Compagnie was a French shipping line formed in 1881 by Cyprian Fabre. It began operating a small fleet of sailing ships in 1865. Its ports of call included New York, NY; ...

, a

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

company which brought thousands of European immigrants to Providence. * In 1911, in response to rising traffic fatality rates, Fletcher introduced new laws meant to deal with the chaos on Providence city streets. This was at a time when the

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

was new, and traffic was a vexing problem. In 1921 Fletcher sold his jewelry business and retired. He maintained residences in Florida and New Hampshire as well as a summer home in Conimicut for many years. Fletcher was a 32nd degree mason. He belonged to several organizations, including: the Providence Town Criers, the Providence Central Club, and the Providence Chamber of Commerce. He was director of the

Atlantic National Bank The Atlantic National Bank was an American bank based in Jacksonville, Florida. It existed from 1903 until 1985, when it was acquired by First Union. Subsequently, First Union changed its name to Wachovia Corporation when it also acquired Wachovi ...

Death and burial

Fletcher died on August 26, 1953, in

Barrington, Rhode Island Barrington is a suburban, residential town in Bristol County, Rhode Island located approximately southeast of Providence. It was founded by Congregationalist separatists from Swansea, Massachusetts and incorporated in 1717. Barrington was ceded ...

, age 94, at the home of his eldest son, Henry B. Fletcher, Sr. He was buried at Swan Point Cemetery, and his funeral service was held at the Swan Point Cemetery chapel.

References

External links

Henry Fletcher
at Providence City website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Henry 1859 births 1953 deaths English emigrants to the United States American jewellers Mayors of Providence, Rhode Island American Freemasons Burials at Swan Point Cemetery People from Birmingham, West Midlands