Aram J. Pothier
Encyclopedia
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
origin, the 51st and 55th Governor of Rhode Island from 1909 to 1915 and from 1925 until his death in 1928.
Early life
He was born in Philimene, QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada, as the son of Jules Pothier and Domiltilde (Dallaire) Pothier. He graduated from Nicolet College in Quebec. At the time of graduation, his parents had already moved to Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Woonsocket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 41,186 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Woonsocket lies directly south of the Massachusetts border....
, and he moved there too. He worked for a number of companies, starting with the Woonsocket Institute for Savings. He married Françoise de Charmigny in 1902.
He is a descendant of Zacharie Cloutier.
Political career
Pothier was a Republican and member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1887 to 1888. He served as the mayor of WoonsocketWoonsocket, Rhode Island
Woonsocket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 41,186 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Woonsocket lies directly south of the Massachusetts border....
from 1894 to 1895 and as Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island from 1897 to 1898, during the first year that Elisha Dyer, Jr.
Elisha Dyer, Jr.
Elisha Dyer, Jr. was a Rhode Island politician who was 45th Governor of Rhode Island from 1897 to 1900. He was the son of Elisha Dyer, Governor of Rhode Island from 1857 to 1859....
was governor. 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
He won the election to become governor in 1908 and entered into service on January 5, 1909. He was reelected to three more one year terms as governor. At this time, biennial elections replaced annual elections for state officials, and Pothier won the very 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 Republican Robert Livingston BeeckmanRobert Livingston Beeckman
Robert Livingston Beeckman was an American politician and the 52nd Governor of Rhode Island.Beeckman was born on April 15, 1866 in New York City, New York. When Beeckman was five years old, his family moved to Providence, Rhode Island...
.
In 1915, retiring from politics, he became President of the Woonsocket Institute for Savings and the Providence Union Trust Company.
Pothier was again drafted by the Republican Party to run for governor in 1924. He won that election and then the reelection in 1926, and served from January 6, 1925 until his death February 4, 1928.
He was notable for being the first Rhode Island governor of French-Canadian descent. He was buried at Precious Blood Cemetery in Woonsocket.