James Fenner (January 22, 1771April 17, 1846) was an American politician who served as a

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 ...

as well as the 7th, 11th and 17th

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 ...

(on three occasions). He was the son of

Arthur Fenner Arthur Fenner (December 10, 1745October 15, 1805) was an American politician who served as the fourth Governor of Rhode Island from 1790 until his death in 1805. He has the seventh longest gubernatorial tenure in post-Constitutional U.S. histo ...

, the fourth governor of Rhode Island.

Biography

Fenner was born in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

in the

Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was an English colony on the eastern coast of America, founded in 1636 by Puritan minister Roger Williams after his exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It became a haven for religious d ...

. He graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

in 1789, and was married to Sarah Whipple Jenckes (his first cousin, once removed) on November 17, 1792. He served as United States senator from 1805 to 1807, then gave up his senatorship to become Governor of Rhode Island, two years after his father died in office. Fenner served as governor from 1807 to 1811, from 1824 to 1831, and from 1843 to 1845. Fenner was elected to his first two terms as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

and as his third term as a member of the

Law and Order Party of Rhode Island The Law and Order Party of Rhode Island was a short-lived political party in the state of Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Ma ...

. In his final term, Fenner became the first governor to serve under the

Rhode Island Constitution The Constitution of the State of Rhode Island is a document describing the structure and function of the government of the U.S. State of Rhode Island. 1842 Constitution Constitutional Convention Rhode Island held a constitutional convention in ...

, adopted in 1842. Fenner died in his mansion "What Cheer" in 1846, and was interred in the

North Burial Ground The North Burial Ground is a cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island dating to 1700, the first public cemetery in Providence. It is located north of downtown Providence, bounded by North Main Street, Branch Avenue, the Moshassuck River, and C ...

in Providence. Fenner had four children with his wife, Sarah Jenckes: *Almira Theodosia (January 17, 1793 – October 10, 1872) *Sarah *Freelove (ca. 1799 – August 2, 1817) *Arthur (ca. 1810 – March 8, 1832)

External links

Gov. James Fenner in the Fenner Genealogy
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fenner, James Governors of Rhode Island 1771 births 1846 deaths Brown University alumni Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island United States senators from Rhode Island Rhode Island Democratic-Republicans Law and Order Party of Rhode Island state governors of the United States Democratic-Republican Party United States senators Burials at North Burying Ground (Providence) Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States 19th-century United States senators