Theodore Foster (April 29, 1752January 13, 1828) was an American lawyer and politician from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

. He was a member of the Federalist Party and later the National Republican Party. He served as one of the first two United States senators from Rhode Island and, following John Langdon, served as dean of the Senate.

Early life

Foster was born in

Brookfield, Massachusetts Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Brookfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. The population was 3,439 at the 2020 census. History Brookfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660 and was officiall ...

in 1752. He engaged in classical studies at the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (now known as Brown University), graduating in 1770. He then studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

and lived with fellow student Solomon Drowne. He was admitted to the bar association in 1771 and remained in

to practice law, beginning his law practice in Providence. He was town clerk in Providence from 1775–1787. He earned his master's degree from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

in 1786. Foster was a protege of Brown University's first chancellor, Chief Justice of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and revolutionary patriot Stephen Hopkins. Foster married the sister of the future governor of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Arthur Fenner.

American Revolution

Foster played a role in the

Gaspee Affair The ''Gaspee'' Affair was a significant event in the lead-up to the American Revolution. HMS ''Gaspee'' was a British customs schooner that enforced the Navigation Acts in and around Newport, Rhode Island, in 1772. It ran aground in shallow ...

of 1772, along with John Brown and others, which helped catalyze events leading to up to the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. Foster distinguished himself as a staunch supporter of General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

and the Federalist cause.

Later life

Until 1790 Foster held various positions in the government of Rhode Island. He was then elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, beginning his service on June 12, 1790. Rhode Island's state legislature re-elected him in 1791 and 1797, and he served until March 3, 1803, when he retired from public life to engage in writing and historical research. He was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society i ...

in 1820. Foster became a passionate collector of numerous documents relating to colonial Providence. He helped found the

Rhode Island Historical Society The Rhode Island Historical Society is a privately endowed membership organization, founded in 1822, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the history of Rhode Island. Its offices are located in Providence, Rhode Island. History Found ...

in 1822. Foster's heirs sold his extensive collection of historical documents to the Society in 1833. Many of these documents are unpublished. During the latter period, Foster also served as a

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...

of Brown University. Foster returned to public life to serve in the Rhode Island state legislature from 1812 to 1816. He lived in the town of

Foster, Rhode Island Foster is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, in the United States. The population was 4,469 at the 2020 census. History Foster was originally settled in the 17th century by British colonists as a farming community. In the year 1662, ...

, which was named after him. When Solomon Drowne moved back to Rhode Island he lived on a farm ( Mt. Hygeia) next to Foster's. Foster died on January 13, 1828, and is interred in

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.

Family life

Foster's father was Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice Jedediah Foster, who graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1744. Foster was the elder brother of Senator Dwight Foster of Massachusetts, and the great uncle of

Massachusetts Attorney General The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder ...

and Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice Dwight Foster.

References

External links

*
''Theodore Foster's Minutes of the Convention Held at South Kingstown, Rhode Island, in March, 1790: Which Failed to Adopt the Constitution of the United States'' preview at Google books An article on his life from the Rhode Island Historical Society

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Theodore 1752 births 1828 deaths People from Brookfield, Massachusetts People of colonial Massachusetts People of colonial Rhode Island American people of English descent Pro-Administration Party United States senators from Rhode Island Federalist Party United States senators from Rhode Island Rhode Island National Republicans Members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives People from Foster, Rhode Island 18th-century American lawyers Dartmouth College alumni Brown University alumni Members of the American Antiquarian Society Political leaders of the American Revolution Patriots in the American Revolution People of Rhode Island in the American Revolution Burials at Swan Point Cemetery