SPRAGUE, William, Congress, RI (1799-1856)
Party: Whig
SPRAGUE, William, (uncle of William Sprague [1830-1915]), a Representative and a Senator from Rhode Island; born in Cranston, R.I., November 3, 1799; pursued classical studies; engaged in mercantile pursuits; member, State house of representatives, serving as speaker 1832-1835; elected as a Whig to the Twenty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1835-March 3, 1837); declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1836; Governor of Rhode Island 1838-1839; elected as a Whig to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Nathan F. Dixon and served from February 18, 1842, to January 17, 1844, when he resigned; chairman, Committee on Enrolled Bills (Twenty-seventh Congress); presidential elector on the Whig ticket in 1848; engaged in the manufacture of cotton and paint; died in Providence, R.I., on October 19, 1856; interment in Swan Point Cemetery.
Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present
