Henry Frederick Lippitt (October 12, 1856December 28, 1933) was a member of the prominent Lippitt family, which made its fortune in the textile business, and served as

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 ...

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 ...

Biography

Born in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

on October 12, 1856, Lippitt was the son of

Henry Lippitt Henry Lippitt (October 9, 1818 – June 5, 1891) was the 33rd Governor of Rhode Island from 1875 to 1877. Family Lippitt was the son of Warren Lippitt and Eliza (Seamans) Lippitt, married to Mary Ann Balch. Lippitt was the father of Charles Wa ...

and Mary Ann (Balch) Lippitt. He attended Mowry & Goff's, a private school in Providence, and received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree 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 ...

in 1878. He was president of his graduating class and admitted to membership in

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

. After graduation, Lippitt and joined his family's cotton textile manufacturing business. Lippitt was director of the Slater Trust Company of Pawtucket and of several mill insurance companies. He was also vice president of the People's

Savings Bank A savings bank is a financial institution whose primary purpose is accepting savings account, savings deposits and paying interest on those deposits. History of banking, They originated in Europe during the 18th century with the aim of providi ...

of Providence and a director of the Mechanics National Bank. He served on the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

's staff with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in 1888-1889 and was president of the New England Cotton Manufacturers' Association (now the

National Textile Association The National Textile Association is the United States's oldest and largest association of fabric-forming companies. NTA members knit and weave fabric in the U.S.; supply fibers, yarns to the fabric-forming industry; or supply other materials or ...

) in 1889. Henry F

Lippitt was elected to the United States Senate as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and served from March 4, 1911 to March 3, 1917. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Agriculture (Sixty-second Congress). Lippitt had been elected by the state legislature, and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1916, following passage of the Seventeenth Amendment, which provided that U.S. Senators be chosen by popular vote. After leaving the Senate, he again became actively engaged in the textile industry. He served as Chairman of the Board of the Manville-Jenckes tire fabric company of Pawtucket. He was a member of the

Squantum Association The Squantum Association is a private club in East Providence, Rhode Island on 947 Veterans Memorial Parkway. Its main Club House overlooks the Providence River on a rocky promontory. This Colonial Revival building was constructed in 1900 by Mart ...

Hope Club Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

, Agawam Hunt Club, Rhode Island Yacht Club, New York Yacht Club, Larchmont Yacht Club, and University Club of New York. He was also a member of New England Cotton Manufacturers' Association, and in 1892 he joined 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 Congressional charter, congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky. A non-prof ...

. Senator Lippitt died in Providence December 28, 1933. He was interred in the Lippitt family plot 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 organi ...

Family

In 1881 Lippitt married Mary Louise Bowen, a member of another family prominent in the Rhode Island textile manufacturing business. Their children included Louise, Henry, Frances, and John Bowen Lippitt. Following the death of his first wife, Lippitt married Lucy Herron Laughlin in 1915, a sister of former First Lady

Helen Herron Taft Helen Louise Taft (née Herron; June 2, 1861 – May 22, 1943), known as Nellie, was the wife of President William Howard Taft and the first lady of the United States from 1909 to 1913. Born to a politically well-connected Ohio family, Nel ...

and widow of Thomas K. Laughlin of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. They had two children: Rhode Island politician and philanthropist

Frederick Lippitt Frederick Lippitt (December 29, 1916 – May 11, 2005) was an American military officer, attorney, politician, public servant and philanthropist. He was the scion of a distinguished Rhode Island colonial family, the son of United States Senat ...

and aviator Mary Ann Lippitt. Henry F. Lippitt was the son of Rhode Island Governor

and the brother of Rhode Island Governor Charles W. Lippitt. He was also a great-uncle of

John H. Chafee John Lester Hubbard Chafee ( ; October 22, 1922 – October 24, 1999) was an American politician and officer in the United States Marine Corps. A member of the Republican Party (United States), he served as the 66th Governor of Rhode Island, as ...

and a great-great-uncle of Lincoln D. Chafee, both U.S. Senators as well as governors of Rhode Island.

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lippitt, Henry 1856 births 1933 deaths Brown University alumni Rhode Island Republicans Republican Party United States senators from Rhode Island Burials at Swan Point Cemetery Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island Psi Upsilon