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William Greene Jr. (August 16, 1731November 29, 1809) was the second governor of the state of Rhode Island, serving in this capacity for eight years, five of which were during the American Revolutionary War. From a prominent Rhode Island family, his father, William Greene Sr., had served 11 terms as a colonial governor of Rhode Island. His great-grandfather,
John Greene Jr. John Greene Jr. (1620 – 27 November 1708) was a deputy governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations who spent almost his entire adult life in the public service of the colony. Born in England, he was the son of John Green ...
served for ten years as deputy governor of the colony, and his great-great-grandfather, John Greene Sr. was a founding settler of both Providence and Warwick. Greene served the colony for many years as a Deputy to the General Assembly, a justice and chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and then as governor. As a governor during the American Revolutionary War, his biggest concerns were the British sacking of the Rhode Island towns of Bristol and Warren, and the British occupation of
Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
, which lasted for three years. After eight years as governor, Greene, who supported the use of hard currency, was defeated in the May 1786 election by
John Collins John Collins may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Collins (poet) (1742–1808), English orator, singer, and poet * John Churton Collins (1848–1908), English literary critic * John H. Collins (director) (1889–1918), American director an ...
who was an advocate of paper money. Greene married a second cousin, Catharine Ray of
Block Island Block Island is an island in the U.S. state of Rhode Island located in Block Island Sound approximately south of the mainland and east of Montauk Point, Long Island, New York, named after Dutch explorer Adriaen Block. It is part of Washingt ...
, and the couple had four children, of whom Ray Greene became a United States Senator and Rhode Island Attorney General. Governor Greene died at his estate in the town of Warwick in 1809, and is interred at
Governor Greene Cemetery The Governor Greene Cemetery, frequently called the Governor Greene Lot, is designated as Rhode Island Historical Cemetery, Warwick, #40, and is a late colonial cemetery located in Warwick, Rhode Island near the East Greenwich town line. It is a ...
in Warwick, where his parents were interred.


Ancestry and early life

Born August 16, 1731 in Warwick in the
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until ...
, William Greene was the son of William Greene Sr. who had served for 11 one-year terms as the governor of the Rhode Island colony, and the great grandson of
John Greene Jr. John Greene Jr. (1620 – 27 November 1708) was a deputy governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations who spent almost his entire adult life in the public service of the colony. Born in England, he was the son of John Green ...
who had served for ten years as the deputy governor of the colony. His great great grandfather was John Greene Sr. who came from County Dorset in England in 1635, was one of the original proprietors of Providence with
Roger Williams Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...
, and later became one of the founding settlers of Warwick. Governor Greene is also descended from early Rhode Island settler and Warwick founder Samuel Gorton, as well as from Frances (Latham) Dungan, the "mother of governors." Greene's mother was Catharine, the daughter of Benjamin and Susanna (Holden) Greene, and also a descendant of Warwick founder John Greene Sr. She also descends from
Randall Holden Randall Holden (1692) was an early inhabitant of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, one of the original founders of Portsmouth, and one of the co-founders of the town of Warwick. He came to New England from Salisbury, Wi ...
who was a follower of Anne Hutchinson and signer of the Portsmouth Compact in 1638, establishing the first government in the Rhode Island colony. In 1753 Greene became a freeman from the town of Warwick, and was thus able to vote. In 1762, he married his second cousin, Catharine Ray (July 10, 1731 – January 29, 1794), the daughter of Simon and Deborah (Greene) Ray of
Block Island Block Island is an island in the U.S. state of Rhode Island located in Block Island Sound approximately south of the mainland and east of Montauk Point, Long Island, New York, named after Dutch explorer Adriaen Block. It is part of Washingt ...
, and also a great granddaughter of Deputy Governor
John Greene Jr. John Greene Jr. (1620 – 27 November 1708) was a deputy governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations who spent almost his entire adult life in the public service of the colony. Born in England, he was the son of John Green ...
Catharine Ray had been a literary companion of Benjamin Franklin, and had a shared correspondence with the statesman.


Political life

In October 1771 Greene was on a committee to finish the construction of the court house in the neighboring town of
East Greenwich East Greenwich is a town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island. It is part of the Providence metropolitan ...
. He was subsequently selected as a deputy from his home town of Warwick in the years 1773, 1774, 1776, and 1777, and in May 1777 was selected as the Speaker of the House of Deputies for the entire colony. When the colony of Rhode Island declared its independence from Great Britain in May 1776, two months before the 13 colonies did so as a whole, Greene was one of the deputies that strongly supported this measure. In December 1776 a large body of British troops occupied Newport and the entire island of Aquidneck (Rhode Island). As a result, on December 10, 1776 Greene was chosen as a member of the colony's Council of War to act when the General Assembly was not in session. He subsequently served on the war council every year until the cessation of hostilities in 1781.


Supreme Court justice and governor

Greene had begun his public service in February 1767 when he became a justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court (then called the ''Superior Court of Judicature, Court of Assize, and General Gaol Delivery''), filling in for another member for a few months. He served another partial term on this court from 1768 to 1769, then in May 1774 he was again selected as a justice of the court, serving until February 1777 when he became the 20th Chief Justice of this body.
Manual - the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
' (1891), p. 208-13.
The only break in his tenure as a justice occurred for a few months during the summer of 1776 when he was given the rank of Colonel, moved temporarily to the War Department, and briefly replaced as justice by John Gardner. Greene gave up his position as Chief Justice in May 1778 when Governor Nicholas Cooke decided to step down from the arduous task of being a wartime governor, and, at the age of 47, Greene was elected as the second governor of the state. He served as governor for eight years, five of which were during the trying time of the American Revolutionary War. Greene was said to be of "remarkable physical vigor" because two or three times a week he would walk from Warwick or East Greenwich to Providence and return the same afternoon, about 17 miles round trip.


War effects on Rhode Island

Some of the events occurring during Greene's early tenure as governor included the British sacking of the towns of Bristol and Warren on May 25, 1778, and the subsequent arrival of the French fleet on July 29, 1778 under the command of the Comte d'Estaing. The ensuing
Battle of Rhode Island The Battle of Rhode Island (also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill) took place on August 29, 1778. Continental Army and Militia forces under the command of Major General John Sullivan had been besieging the British forces in Newport, Rhode Isl ...
on August 29, 1778 resulted in a stalemate, and the British continued to occupy Aquidneck Island. An encouraging event for the Americans, however, occurred on October 18, 1778, when the American vessel ''Hawk'', under the command of Captain Silas Talbot, captured the British galley ''Pigot''. In October 1779 the British evacuated Newport, after having laid waste to this once wealthy community. The buildings of Rhode Island College (later
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 Providence were used as a barracks and hospital during the latter part of the war until 1782. The most important event of 1780 was the arrival in Newport of 44 French ships under the command of
Admiral De Ternay Charles-Henri-Louis d'Arsac, chevalier de Ternay (27 January 1723 – 15 December 1780) was a French naval officer. Most active in the Seven Years' War and the War of American Independence, Ternay was the naval commander of a 1762 expedition ...
, who brought 6000 troops to serve under Count Rochambeau. Governor Greene convened a special session of the General Assembly to receive the French during this momentous occasion. In 1781, after the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown to French and American forces, the General Assembly changed the name of Kings County, Rhode Island to Washington County "in perpetual and grateful remembrance of the eminent and most distinguished services, and heroic actions of the illustrious commander-in-chief of the forces of the United States of America." As the new nation was forming, in 1782 Rhode Island and Georgia were the only two states that rejected a 5% import tax proposed by congress. The Rhode Island citizenry and leadership felt that such a tax bore unequally on Rhode Island as a maritime state. This was one of several considerations delaying Rhode Island's entry into the Union. Congressional delegate David Howell was backed by a unanimous vote of the House of Deputies and by Governor Greene in rejecting the import tax.


Post-war period

Several important acts passed by the General Assembly took place during Greene's tenure as governor, after the war was concluded. In February 1783 an act was passed giving
Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
the same rights as Protestants. During the same session the assembly also passed a copyright law, protecting copyrights for 21 years. In June 1783 a new tariff bill was passed to help relieve some of the debt of the poverty-stricken state. A major human rights act was passed in the General Assembly in February 1784 allowing for the gradual emancipation of slaves. With this act, all children born to slave mothers after March 1 were to be free, and the further sale of any slaves became strictly prohibited. The main issue of the election in May 1786 concerned the use of paper money. Greene backed a solid currency policy, which was supported by the General Assembly. His primary rival,
John Collins John Collins may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Collins (poet) (1742–1808), English orator, singer, and poet * John Churton Collins (1848–1908), English literary critic * John H. Collins (director) (1889–1918), American director an ...
, advocated the use of paper money. The soft money supporters won the election, and not only was Collins elected governor, but only 30 of the previous 81 members of the assembly were returned to office following this election. After the end of his tenure as governor, Greene was not active in the civil affairs of the colony again until 1792 when he became an elector of the presidents and vice presidents of the United States. In this capacity he became a member of the first electoral college in which Rhode Island participated. Greene died at his estate in Warwick on November 29, 1809, and was buried where his parents were buried. The cemetery was later named after the family, the
Governor Greene Cemetery The Governor Greene Cemetery, frequently called the Governor Greene Lot, is designated as Rhode Island Historical Cemetery, Warwick, #40, and is a late colonial cemetery located in Warwick, Rhode Island near the East Greenwich town line. It is a ...
in Love Lane, Warwick.


Family

Governor Greene and his wife Catharine had four children.
Ray Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (g ...
married Mary M. Flagg, the daughter of George Flagg, esquire, of
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
and became Attorney General for the state and a United States Senator. Samuel married Mary Nightingale, the daughter of Colonel Joseph Nightingale of Providence; Phebe married Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Ward Jr., the son of Governor Samuel Ward and Anne Ray; and Celia married her cousin, Colonel William Greene, the son of Benjamin Greene of Warwick. The governor's grandson, also named William Greene III, was a lieutenant governor of Rhode Island under Governor Ambrose Burnside, shortly after the Civil War. Governor Greene was a second cousin of Colonel Christopher Greene, and a third cousin of General Nathanael Greene, both of whom served with distinction during the American Revolutionary War.


Ancestry


See also

* List of governors of Rhode Island * List of colonial governors of Rhode Island * List of lieutenant governors of Rhode Island *
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until ...
* History of Rhode Island


Sources


Bibliography

* * * *


External links


Letter from George Washington to William Greene
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, William 1731 births 1809 deaths American people of English descent Governors of Rhode Island People from East Greenwich, Rhode Island Politicians from Warwick, Rhode Island People of colonial Rhode Island Burials in Rhode Island 18th-century American judges 18th-century American politicians Greene family of Rhode Island