Governors of Rhode Island.
The State originally consisted of four towns: Providence, settled in 1636; Portsmouth, in 1638; Newport, in 1639; and Warwick, in 1642. Each town was governed independently until 1647. Providence and Warwick had no executive head till 1647.
PORTSMOUTH.
JUDGES.
| William Coddington, | March 7, 1638 to April 30. 1639. |
| William Hutchinson, | April 30, 1639 to March 12, 1640. |
NEWPORT.
JUDGE.
| William Coddington, | April 28, 1639 to March 12, 1640. |
PORTSMOUTH AND NEWPORT.[B]
GOVERNOR.
| William Coddington, | March 12, 1640 to May 19, 1647. |
[B] United in 1640.
In 1647 the four towns were united under a charter or patent, granted in 1643, by Parliament.
PRESIDENTS UNDER THE PATENT.
| John Coggeshall, | May, 1647 to May, 1648. |
| William Coddington, | May, 1648 to May, 1649. |
| John Smith, | May, 1649 to May, 1650. |
| Nicholas Easton, | May, 1650 to Aug., 1651. |
In 1651 a separation occurred between the towns of Providence and Warwick on the one side, and Portsmouth and Newport on the other.
PROVIDENCE AND WARWICK.
PRESIDENTS.
| Samuel Gorton, | Oct., 1651 to May, 1652. |
| John Smith, | May, 1652 to May, 1653. |
| Gregory Dexter, | May, 1653 to May, 1654. |
PORTSMOUTH AND NEWPORT.
PRESIDENT.
| John Sandford, Senior | May, 1653 to May, 1654. |
In 1654 the union of the four towns was reëstablished.
| Nicholas Easton, | May, 1654 to Sept. 12, 1654. |
| Roger Williams, | Sept., 1654 to May, 1657. |
| Benedict Arnold, | May, 1657 to May, 1660. |
| William Brenton, | May, 1660 to May, 1662. |
| Benedict Arnold, | May, 1662 to Nov. 25, 1663. |
ROYAL CHARTER.
GOVERNORS.
| Benedict Arnold, | Nov., 1663 to May, 1666. |
| William Brenton, | May, 1666 to May, 1669. |
| Benedict Arnold, | May, 1669 to May, 1672. |
| Nicholas Easton, | May, 1672 to May, 1674. |
| William Coddington, | May, 1674 to May, 1676. |
| Walter Clarke, | May, 1676 to May, 1677. |
| Benedict Arnold, | 1677 to June 20, 1678. Died. |
| William Coddington, | Aug. 28, 1678 to Nov. 1, 1678. Died. |
| John Cranston, | Nov., 1678 to March 12, 1680. Died. |
| Peleg Sandford, | March 16, 1680 to May, 1683. |
| William Coddington, Jr., | May, 1683 to May, 1685. |
| Henry Bull, | May, 1685 to May, 1686. |
| Walter Clarke,[C] | May, 1686 to June 29, 1686. |
| Henry Bull, | Feb. 27, to May 7, 1690. |
| John Easton, | May, 1690 to May, 1695. |
| Caleb Carr, | May, 1695 to Dec. 17, 1695. Died. |
| Walter Clarke, | Jan., 1696 to March, 1698. |
| Samuel Cranston, | May, 1698 to April 26, 1727. Died. |
| Joseph Jenckes, | May, 1727 to May, 1732. |
| William Wanton, | May, 1732 to Dec., 1733. Died. |
| John Wanton, | May, 1734 to July 5, 1740. Died. |
| Richard Ward, | July 15, 1740 to May, 1743. |
| William Greene, | May, 1743 to May, 1745. |
| Gideon Wanton, | May, 1745 to May, 1746. |
| William Greene, | May, 1746 to May, 1747. |
| Gideon Wanton, | May, 1747 to May, 1748. |
| William Greene, | May, 1748 to May, 1755. |
| Stephen Hopkins, | May, 1755 to May, 1757. |
| William Greene, | May, 1757 to Feb. 22, 1758. Died. |
| Stephen Hopkins, | March 14, 1758 to May, 1762. |
| Samuel Ward, | May, 1762 to May, 1763. |
| Stephen Hopkins, | May, 1763 to May, 1765. |
| Samuel Ward, | May, 1765 to May, 1767. |
| Stephen Hopkins, | May, 1767 to May, 1768. |
| Josias Lyndon, | May, 1768 to May, 1769. |
| Joseph Wanton, | 1769 to Nov. 7, 1775. Deposed. |
| Nicholas Cooke, | Nov., 1775 to May, 1778. |
| William Greene, | May, 1778 to 1786. |
| John Collins, | May, 1786 to 1790. |
| Arthur Fenner,[D] | 1790 to 1805. Died. |
| James Fenner, | May, 1807 to 1811. |
| William Jones, | May, 1811 to 1817. |
| Nehemiah R. Knight,[E] | May, 1817 to Jan. 9, 1821. |
| William C. Gibbs, | May, 1821 to 1824. |
| James Fenner, | May, 1824 to 1831. |
| Lemuel H. Arnold, | 1831 to 1833. |
| John Brown Francis, | 1833 to 1838. |
| William Sprague,[F] | 1838 to 1839. |
| Samuel Ward King, | 1840 to 1843. |
[C] The charter was suspended till 1689. The Deputy-Governor, John Coggeshall, acted as Governor during the interval, Governor Clarke refusing to serve.
[D] Paul Mumford, Deputy-Governor, died. Henry Smith, First Senator, officiated as Governor. In 1806, no election; Isaac Wilbour, Lieutenant-Governor, officiated.
[E] Elected United States Senator January 9, 1821, for unexpired term of James Burrill, Jr., deceased.
[F] In 1839 no choice; Samuel Ward King was First Senator and Acting-Governor.
UNDER THE CONSTITUTION.
(Adopted in 1842.)
| James Fenner | 1843 to 1845. |
| Charles Jackson | 1845 to 1846. |
| Byron Diman | 1846 to 1847. |
| Elisha Harris | 1847 to 1849. |
| Henry B. Anthony, | 1849 to 1851. |
| Philip Allen,[G] | 1851 to 1853. |
| William Warner Hoppin, | 1854 to 1857. |
| Elisha Dyer | 1857 to 1859. |
| Thomas G. Turner, | 1859 to 1860. |
| William Sprague, | 1860 to March 3, 1863. Resigned. |
| William C. Cozzens,[H] | March 3, 1863 to May, 1863. |
| James Y. Smith, | 1863 to 1866. |
| Ambrose E. Burnside, | 1866 to 1869. |
| Seth Padelford, | 1869 to 1873. |
| Henry Howard | 1873 to 1875. |
| Henry Lippitt, | 1875 to —— |
[G] Resigned July 20, 1853, having been elected United States Senator May 4, 1853. Lieutenant-Governor, F. M. Dimond, officiated.
[H] Governor Sprague resigned March 3, 1863, and Lieutenant-Governor Arnold having been elected to the Senate Mr. Cozzens became Governor by virtue of his office as President of the Senate.