Aram J. Pothier | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 51st and 55thGovernor of Rhode Island | |
| In office January 5, 1909 – January 5, 1915 | |
| Lieutenant | Arthur Dennis Zenas W. Bliss Rosewell Burchard |
| Preceded by | James H. Higgins |
| Succeeded by | Robert Livingston Beeckman |
| In office January 6, 1925 – February 4, 1928 | |
| Lieutenant | Nathaniel W. Smith Norman S. Case |
| Preceded by | William S. Flynn |
| Succeeded by | Norman S. Case |
| Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island | |
| In office 1897–1898 | |
| Governor | Elisha Dyer, Jr. |
| Preceded by | Edwin Allen |
| Succeeded by | William Gregory |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Aram Jules Pothier (1854-07-26)July 26, 1854 Quebec City,Quebec, Canada |
| Died | February 4, 1928(1928-02-04) (aged 73) Woonsocket, Rhode Island, United States |
| Resting place | Precious Blood Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Françoise de Charmigny |
| Relations | Zacharie Cloutier |
| Alma mater | Nicolet College |
Aram Jules Pothier (July 26, 1854 – February 4, 1928) was an Americanbanker andpolitician ofFrench Canadian descent. He served as the 51st and 55thGovernor of Rhode Island.
Pothier was born inQuebec City,Canada East, the son of Jules Pothier and Domiltilde (Dallaire) Pothier.[1] He attended the common schools in Canada and graduated from Nicolet College in Quebec.[2] At the time of his graduation, his parents had already moved toWoonsocket, Rhode Island, and he moved to Woonsocket to join them.
Pothier's father purchased ahome on Pond Street around 1881, and Aram Pothier lived in the modest 1.5-story home until his death (while serving as governor) in 1928.[3]
He was a clerk for former CongressmanLatimer W. Ballou at the Woonsocket Institute for Savings.[4]
Pothier met his wife Françoise de Charmigny in Paris at the 1900 Paris Exhibition. They were married in 1902 inBridgeport, Connecticut.[5] He is a descendant ofZacharie Cloutier.[citation needed]
He began his political career in 1885 as aRepublican member of the Woonsocket School Committee.[6] He was appointed byGovernor Taft to the1889 Paris Exposition.[7] Pothier was a member of theRhode Island House of Representatives from 1887 to 1888,[8] and served as city auditor from 1889 to 1894.
He was mayor of Woonsocket from 1894 to 1895, and declined renomination.[9] From 1897 to 1898 he served asLieutenant Governor of Rhode Island, during the first year thatElisha Dyer, Jr. was governor.[10] After his term as lieutenant governor, he retired from public office, but returned as a member of the Rhode Island Board of Education in 1907. Governor Dyer appointed him to the1900 Paris Exhibition.[11]
Pothier was elected Governor of Rhode Island in 1908 and entered into service on January 5, 1909. He was reelected to three more one-year terms. At that time, biennial elections replaced annual elections for state officials, and Pothier won the first election for a two-year term as governor in 1912. He retired after this term, on January 5, 1915, when he was succeeded by fellow RepublicanRobert Livingston Beeckman.[12] In 1915, retiring from politics, he became President of the Woonsocket Institute for Savings and the Providence Union Trust Company.[13] He was again drafted by the Republican Party to run for governor in 1924.[14] He won that election and reelection in 1926, serving from January 6, 1925, until his death on February 4, 1928.[15] He was the first Rhode Island governor of French Canadian descent.
He died on February 4, 1928, in Woonsocket and is interred inPrecious Blood Cemetery in Woonsocket.[16]
A Liberty ship launched June 16, 1944 (hull # 3036) was named SS Aram J. Pothier
In 2010, he was inducted into theAmerican-French Genealogical Society Hall of Fame.[17]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Rhode Island 1908,1909,1910,1911,1912 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Harold J. Gross | Republican nominee forGovernor of Rhode Island 1924,1926 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island 1897–1898 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Rhode Island 1909–1915 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Rhode Island 1925–1928 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
