Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-12
LAST OF WAR GOVERNORS
DIES AT HOME IN PARIS
William SpraEuc, Former Rhode
Island Executive and L. S. Sem
ator, Passes Away.
CAREER UNUSUALLY EvENTlUL
Probably Youngest Man i'm Country
Ever Elected to GovernorShip of
State-IIost Fortune During FL
nancinl Crash i'm 1873.

Special Cable TO The Times Dispatch. !
PARIS September n.-W i IL a II,
! SpraEue. famous war Governor OF
! Rhode Island. and twice United states
Senator from that State. died at his
residence here early to-day. aged
ciEhty-four years. His death was due
/ 10 meningitis. coupled with the infirmi-
ties OF age. At his bedside We're his
/ wife and his old friends, Captain and
! Mrs Frank H. Mason. His granddaugh-
ter. Mrs. lnez Stiness. was expected TO
sail from New York to-day.
Simple funeral services will be held
here, after which the body will be
! taken TO Rhode Island for burial.
At the outbreak OF the war Mr..
SpraEuc converted his apartment in the
/ Euc dc la Pompc into convalesc ent
tionalities. He was assisted In the
work b! his wife. Governor Sprague
had lived in Paris several years
William SpraGue was the last of the
| Civil War Governors. He outlivcd
| every member OF I.incoln's Cabinet
every chief executive OF tho States and
nearly every member of Congress of the
war period.
you INCEST MAN EVER
ELECTED GOVERNOR
| He probably was tho Youngest man
In this country ever elected 10 the gov
ernorship Of State. When only
twcnty-nine years old, in 1860, he was
chosen as Rhode Islands chief exccu-
! tive, serving three consecutive terms,
/ OF one year each. In his third cam
! paicn only sixty-five votes were cast
against him In the whole State.
Born at Cranston. r. L.. in 1880. he
| early inherited a large fortune The
SpraGuc family had been prominent in
! the political. industrial and social life
of the State since the Revolution.
Young Sprasue anticipated the Civil
War. For two wears prior to the out
break lie maintained two full batteries
OF artillery at his own expense When
the come Rhode Island and
SpraHue were ready 10 rush to the
front.
The Youthful Governor at the head
OF soon w"ll-drillcd troops. was one Of
the FIRST 10 reach Washington. He
marched with his volunteers to the
battle OF Bull Run and later 10 the
Peninsula.
Governor Spracuc was the last sur
vivor OF the famous conference of
twelve Northern Governors at Altoona,
Pa. III 1862.
I'VE had TO take lot of abuse in
return for our Endorsement OF Lin
coins emancipation proclamation" said
Governor Sprague recently. we were
Missed in the streets and were de-
nounced as traitors"
AT thirty-three years of age he en-
tered the United States senate and
a..
Lincoln, Johnson and Grant.
lie married the beautiful and bril-
liant Kate Chase. daughter of Lin
coins Secretary OF The Treasury. and
later Chief Justice of the United states
supreme Court Lincoln. his Cabinet.
Congressman and foreign ministers at
tended II was the most magnificent
wedding ever held in the national CAPT
tai up 10 that time. II is said TO have
cost moro than s25O.o0o.
The young couple led brilliant so
cinl career in Washington and Rhode
Island Spraguc erected beautiful
mansion at NarraGansntt Pier which
cost $l,0o0.ooo complete. and was the
show palace Of the state. The furni-
,ure alone, all foreign made cost
$2d","o0 More than $4,000 worth OF
art objects filled the four-s story frame
structure
The crash came in 1873 When the
financial panic swept the country the
$4,000, aoo business house OF the
Spracucs, which owned large nrint-
cloth factories and numerous other
enterprises went into bankruptcy.
Lawsuits stripped the Governor of his
fortune, leaving him only his country
home named "Canonchct." after an