Samuel Greene ARNOLD, Congress, RI (1821-1880)

ARNOLD, Samuel Greene, (granduncle of Theodore Francis Green), a Senator from Rhode Island; born in Providence, R.I., April 12, 1821; received his early education under private tutors; graduated from Brown University, Providence, R.I., in 1841 and from the law department of Harvard University in 1845; admitted to the bar in 1845; lawyer and historian; trustee of Brown University 1848-1880; elected lieutenant governor of Rhode Island in 1852 and served as Acting Governor; member of the peace commission held at Washington, D.C. in 1861 in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war; again elected lieutenant governor in 1861 and 1862; during the Civil War organized a company of light artillery which went to Washington, D.C., and was mustered into the Union Army; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James F. Simmons and served from December 1, 1862, to March 3, 1863; returned to historical research; president of the Rhode Island Historical Society 1868-1880; died in Providence, R.I., February 14, 1880; interment in Swan Point Cemetery.

Bibliography

Dictionary of American Biography; Arnold, Samuel Greene. History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. 2 vols. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1859-1860; Arnold, Samuel Greene. The Life of Patrick Henry of Virginia. Auburn, NY: Miller, Orton & Milligan, 1854.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present