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William Greene
Rhode Island

Gov. William Greene

  • May 1, 1778 - May 3, 1786
  • August 16, 1731
  • November 29, 1809
  • Rhode Island
  • Married Catherine Ray; five children
  • National Guard

About

Born in Warwick, Rhode Island, WILLIAM GREENE JR. became a surveyor. He served as a Deputy in the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1744 and from 1776 to 1778 and was Speaker of the House of Deputies from November 1776 to May 1778. He also served as First Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island from 1776 to February, 1777, and was Chief Justice from February, 1777 until May, 1778, when he was elected Governor. In 1776, when British troops controlled Newport, Greene was appointed to the Council of War, and he was Captain-General and Commander-in-Chief of the State Military during the Revolutionary War. After serving as Governor for nine years, he retired from public life with the exception of 1792, when he was a Presidential Elector, casting his vote for George Washington for his second presidential term.

*Note: actual term start date is not known.

Source

Mohr, Ralph S. Governors for Three Hundred Years (1638-1954): Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. State of Rhode Island, Graves Registration Committee, August 1954.

Rhode Island USGenWeb

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