RIGENWEB-L Archives

From: Beth Hurd <>
Subject: [RIGENWEB] Nelson W. ALDRICH
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 10:29:38 -0500

from
History of the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Biographical
NY: The American Historical Society, Inc.
1920

pp. 80 - 81:

"NELSON W. ALDRICH -- The late Senator Nelson W. Aldrich was one of the
most conspicuous figures in the public life of recent years. Beyond that
simple statement of fact, a biography of his life needs no further
introduction. He was a man of National reputation, and his work as a
conscientious and able legislator in the United States Senate is now a
matter of history.

Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich was a native of the State of Rhode Island, born in
the town of Foster, Nov. 6, 1841, the son of Anan F. and Abby (Burgess)
Aldrich. He was a member of the famous old Aldrich family of Rhode Island,
and a lineal descendant of several of the early founders of the Colony. The
family has been prominent in the history of the Colony since its founding,
and its original land holdings extended to the boundary line between Rhode
Island and Connecticut.

Nelson W. Aldrich received his early education in the town of Killingly,
Connecticut, where he attended the elementary schools. He later studied at
the Providence Seminary and at the Academy at East Greenwich, Rhode Island.
At the age of sixteen years he discontinued his studies in the latter
institution and went to Providence, where he entered the employ of the firm
of Waldron & Wightman, wholesale grocers, in the capacity of bookkeeper. He
remained in this position for eight years, and at the end of this time
became a partner in the business, the name of the firm becoming Waldron,
Wightman & Company.

Mr. Nelson made his entrance into the world of politics and public affairs
in the late sixties, in that turbulent period of reconstruction following
the Civil War. From the very beginning of his public career he was a firm
and staunch believer in the principles and doctrines of the Republican
party. He was a man of signal ability, and devoted much energy to work in
the interests of the people of Providence. He became a member of the Common
Council of Providence in 1869, and for six years remained in that office,
rendering especially conspicuous services to the city during the years
1871-72-73. In 1875 he was elected a member of the Lower House of the Rhode
Island Legislature, and in that year became Speaker of the House. Three
years later he was elected to represent his district in the United States
Congress, and was reelected in 1880, serving four years. During his terms
in the House of Representatives he was influential in bringing about
much-needed and beneficial legislation, with the cooperation of the other
delegates from Rhode Island. During his second term in the Lower House of
Congress, the death of Ambrose E. Burnside, Senator from Rhode Island, left
a vacancy in the United States Senate, and on October 5, 1881, Mr. Aldrich
was elected to fill the unexpired term, which had five years to run. In
1886 he was reelected, and served in every Congress thereafter until 1911,
when at the end of thirty years' service he refused a renomination and
retired from active participation in politics and public life.

While Senator Aldrich was not noted as an eloquent speaker, he was
conspicuous for his sound judgement, application and shrewdness, and he at
once took rank in the Forty-seventh Congress among his contemporaries,
including such recognized leaders as Allison, Ingalls, Sherman, Dawes, Hoar
and Edmunds. The brilliant Conkling and the politic Blaine had retired from
the Seante to enter other fields of strife. Senator Aldrich came to the
Senate after an experience in the Lower House, and during the first session
voted for the establishment of a tariff commission for which he had
persistently cast his votes as a member of the House of Representatives.
This experience in public life was supplemented by an active business career
and an instinct of watchfulness, and his acquirements soon placed him in the
foremost ranks among the originators and moulders of legislation and public
opinion. He was chairman of the committee on finance, on which he served
during his entire term of Senatorial service. Because of his industrious
study of the problems placed before him, he became thoroughly familiar with
all of the intricate questions of finance and tariff, and when he had
occasion to present his views the Senators accorded him an attentive
hearing. In the Fifty-first Congress he offered an amendment to the
McKinley Tariff Measure, involving the reciprocity features originated by
Secretary of State Blaine, and strongly advised their acceptance. By force
of his arguments and influence the amendment was passed and became a part of
the bill. In his subsequent career in the Senate, Mr. Aldrich was pominent
in the discussions of the great financial questions, and he was the father,
the originator and the organizer of the present financial system of the
Nation. He visited Europe as the chairman of the commission appointed by
Congress to study the financial systems then in use abroad, and after many
years of study brought forward the present national banking law,
substantially in the form adopted by the administration succeeding that from
which he retired. Senator Aldrich was conspicuous as an untiring advocate
of monometallism. The measures with which Senator Aldrich's name is most
conspicuously associated are known as the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Law and the
Vreeland-Aldrich Emergency Currency Act of 1908. As chairman of the
monetary commission he achieved fame, but he was always busy with every
legislative programme which affected the tariff or the national finances.

Senator Aldrich was the owner of the finest and most comprehensive library
on economics in the entire country. The collection of books dealing with
economics covers the following range of subjects: Economic theory, economic
history and conditions, commerce and trade, shipping and subsidies,
commercial treaties and reciprocity, tariff policy, tariff administration,
industries, capitial and labor, prices and wages, the cost of living, trusts
and monopolies, transportation, money, general works, banking, coinage,
exchange, money and banking, public finance, taxation, social science,
statistics, etc. The entire library falls into three main divisions, the
first comprising books on travel, history and art, fine literary works,
standard authors, etc.; the second, the economic collection, above
mentioned; the third, books and papers, and various material relating to the
history of Rhode Island, past and present. In private life, Senator Aldrich
was conspicuouly identified with the largest business and financial
interests of his native State.

Senator Aldrich died in New York, April 16, 1915, and was buried in Swan
Point Cemetery, Providence, R. I.

Senator Aldrich married, Oct. 8, 1866, Abby Pearce Truman Chapman, a
daughter of Francis Morgan and Lucy Ann (Truman) Chapman, and a member of
one of the oldest families of Rhode Island. Their children were: 1. Lucy
T., of Warwick, R. I. 2. Edward B., resides at Warwick; married Lora E.
Lawson, of Troy, N. H. 3. Abby Greene, who became the wife of John D.
Rockefellow [sic], Jr. 4. Stewart M., married Martha L. Clackwell, of St.
Louis. 5. William Truman, married Dorothea Davenport, of Boston. 6.
Richard S. 7. Winthrop, married W. Harriet Alexander. 8. Elsie, wife of
Stephen Maurice Edgell."

see next bio for Nelson's brother, Clarence Alvern Aldrich.

from the RI Historical Cemeteries Database:
ALDRICH, NELSON WILMARTH 1841 - 16 APR 1915 PV003
ALDRICH, ABBY PEARCE (CHAPMAN*) 1844 - 17 FEB 1917 PV003

from <www.politicalgraveyard.com/>:
* Aldrich, Nelson Wilmarth (1841-1915) -- also known as Nelson W. Aldrich
-- of Providence, Providence County, R.I. Cousin of William Aldrich; father
of Richard Steere Aldrich; grandfather of Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller and
Winthrop Rockefeller; great-grandfather of John Davison Rockefeller IV and
Winthrop Paul Rockefeller. Born in Foster, Providence County, R.I., November
6, 1841. Republican. Served in the Union Army during the Civil War; member
of Rhode Island state house of representatives, 1875-76; Speaker of the
Rhode Island State House of Representatives, 1876; U.S. Representative from
Rhode Island 1st District, 1879-81; U.S. Senator from Rhode Island,
1881-1911. Died in New York City, N.Y., April 16, 1915. Interment at Swan
Point Cemetery, Providence, R.I. See also: congressional biography.

for more info on the Aldrich/Rockefeller connection:
http://www.qvcc.commnet.edu/brian/KHS/jonline/rockef.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Hurd
Johnston, RI USA

http://www.the-hurds.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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