Amasa Sprague (April 10, 1798 – December 31, 1843) was an American businessman and politician from

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. He co-founded the A & W Sprague textile firm with his brother

William Sprague III William Sprague, also known as William III or William Sprague III (November 3, 1799October 19, 1856), was a politician and industrialist from the U.S. state of Rhode Island, serving as the 14th Governor, a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator. ...

. He was murdered on

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

, 1843.

Business career

Sprague was born on April 10, 1798, in

Cranston, Rhode Island Cranston, formerly known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The official population of the city in the 2020 United States Census was 82,934, making it the second-largest city in the state. The center of ...

. He began his career working at his father William Sprague II's

cotton mill A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system. Although some were driven ...

. As the elder Sprague's business expanded, Amasa assisted his father in purchasing raw materials and selling the finished product. William Sprague II died on March 28, 1836, and after their father's will was settled, Sprague and his brother William Sprague III founded A & W Sprague to continue the cotton and

calico Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...

business. Amasa Sprague was the senior partner and superintendent of the print works. Sprague represented Cranston in the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is ...

in 1832, 1840, and 1841.

Personal life

Sprague and his wife, Fanny Morgan had four children *Mary Anna Sprague, wife of John E. Nichols (first) and Frank W. Latham (second) *Almyra Sprague, wife of

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, mayor Thomas A. Doyle * Amasa Sprague Jr., founder of

Narragansett Park Narragansett Park was an American race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Beginnings On May 18, 1934, Rhode Island voters approved a measure legalizing parimutuel betting by an almost 3 to 1 margin. The following day ...

William Sprague IV William Sprague IV (September 12, 1830September 11, 1915) was the 27th Governor of Rhode Island from 1860 to 1863, and U.S. Senator from 1863 to 1875. He participated in the First Battle of Bull Run during the American Civil War while he was a ...

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and serves as commander-in-chief of the state's Army National Guard and Air National Guard. The current governor is Dan McKee, a member of the Democrati ...

and

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

Murder

On December 31, 1843, Sprague was shot in the arm and beaten to death by at least two men. The motive was not robbery, as $60 and a gold watch was found on Sprague's body. Nicholas Gordon, a tavern owner whose liquor license had been revoked by the Cranston city council at Sprague's insistence, and his brothers William and John Gordon were tried for the murder.McKay, Scott
"Judge's old notes shed light on last execution in R.I."
''

Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, the largest newspaper in Rhode Island, US. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspaper had won four ...

''. May 25, 2008. William was found not guilty and Nicholas' two trials ended in a hung jury, but John Gordon was found guilty and executed on February 14, 1845. Gordon's conviction was described by researchers, who found a collection of papers belonging to the judge who presided over the trial, as anti- Irish

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and anti-

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

bias. In 2011, he was granted a posthumous pardon by the governor.Erika Niedowski
"RI governor pardons Irish man hanged in 1845"

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, 2011-06-29.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sprague, Amasa 1798 births 1843 deaths American murder victims American textile industry businesspeople Members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives People from Cranston, Rhode Island Sprague family 19th-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly