- Oliver Ames
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Oliver Ames 35th Governor of Massachusetts In office
January 8, 1887 – January 4, 1890Lieutenant John Q. A. Brackett Preceded by George D. Robinson Succeeded by John Q. A. Brackett 33rd Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts In office
1883–1887Governor Benjamin F. Butler (1883–1884)
George D. Robinson (1884–1887)Preceded by Byron Weston Succeeded by John Q. A. Brackett Massachusetts Senate[1] In office
1881–1882Town of Easton
School Committee[1]Personal details Born February 4, 1831
Easton, MassachusettsDied October 22, 1895 (aged 64)
Easton, MassachusettsPolitical party Republican Spouse(s) Anna Coffin Ray Profession Financier Signature Oliver Ames (February 4, 1831 – October 22, 1895) was a U.S. political figure and financier. He was the 35th Governor of Massachusetts (1887–1890). He was the son of Oakes Ames (1804–1873), a United States Congressman who was censured in the Credit Mobilier scandal, and the nephew of Oliver Ames, Jr..
Contents
Biography
Ames was born in North Easton, Massachusetts. He was apprenticed in his father's shovel factory, and was later educated at Brown University. In 1863, he became a partner in Ames & Sons. For ten years, he superintended the mechanical business of the establishment, and on his father's death assumed control of his numerous financial trusts, including shares in the Union Pacific Railroad.[2]
As his father's heir, Ames spent several years in paying off the obligations of millions of dollars incurred by the Union Pacific Railroad and other undertakings. He entered public life avowedly to vindicate his father's memory: he was lieutenant-governor of Massachusetts 1882-86, in 1883 obtained the vindicatory resolution he sought, and from 1886 to 1888 was governor.[3]
Together with his brother Oakes Angier Ames, Oliver created many important buildings and landscapes in North Easton with architect H. H. Richardson and landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted.
Family
His son Oakes Ames (1874–1950) was a well-known American botanist and orchid expert.
Honors
Ames was elected an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity in 1917, by the fraternity's Alpha Chapter at the New England Conservatory in Boston. He is the only known honorary member known to be elected after his death.
The Easton, Massachusetts public high school is named Oliver Ames High School (OAHS).
See also
- Ames Shovel Shop
- Schooner Governor Ames
- Ames Free Library
References
- ^ a b Clarke, James W. (1885). The Bay State Monthly A Massachusetts Magazine of Literature, History, Biography and State Progress Vol. II. Boston, Massachusetts: John N. McClintock and Company. p. 187.
- ^ "Ames, Oakes". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900.
- ^ "Ames, Oliver (son)". Encyclopedia Americana. 1920.
External links
Bibliography
- Clarke, James W.: The Bay State Monthly A Massachusetts Magazine of Literature, History, Biography and State Progress Vol. II, Boston, Massachusetts: John N. McClintock and Company, (1885) p. 187.
Political offices Preceded by
Byron WestonLieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
1883–1887Succeeded by
John Q. A. BrackettPreceded by
George D. RobinsonGovernor of Massachusetts
1887–1890Succeeded by
John Q. A. BrackettCategories:- Governors of Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Republicans
- 1831 births
- 1895 deaths
- People from Bristol County, Massachusetts
- Massachusetts State Senators
- American financiers
- Brown University alumni
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