Henry Joshua Spooner

Henry Joshua Spooner (August 6, 1839 – February 9, 1918) was a United States Representative from Rhode Island and a five-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1881 to 1891. A Republican, he participated actively in the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his Rhode Island constituents in the Forty-seventh through Fifty-first Congresses.

Spooner was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on August 6, 1839. He attended the common schools of Providence and then entered Brown University, from which he graduated in 1860. During his undergraduate years at Brown, he became a member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity, an affiliation that reflected his early engagement with collegiate and civic life. After completing his degree, he began the study of law, preparing for a professional career that would be interrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War.

In 1862, amid the national conflict, Spooner entered the Union Army as a second lieutenant in the Fourth Regiment, Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry. He served in the Army of the Potomac and later in the Army of the James, primarily within the XVIII Corps. His military service placed him in the principal theaters of the Eastern campaign, and he remained in uniform through the close of the Civil War. Following the end of hostilities, he returned to Rhode Island and resumed his legal studies.

Spooner was admitted to the bar in 1865 and commenced the practice of law in Providence. He developed a substantial legal career in the city, and in 1874 he entered into partnership with Augustus S. Miller—who would later become mayor of Providence—in a law firm that subsequently included Arthur J. Brown. His growing prominence in the legal community paralleled his increasing involvement in veterans’ affairs and public service. In 1877, he became commander of the Department of Rhode Island, Grand Army of the Republic, reflecting the esteem in which he was held by fellow Union veterans.

Spooner’s formal political career began in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, where he served from 1875 to 1881. During his tenure in the state legislature, he rose to a position of leadership and served as Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1879 to 1881. His work in the state house helped establish his reputation as an effective Republican legislator and prepared him for national office.

In 1881, Spooner was elected as a Republican to the Forty-seventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative Nelson W. Aldrich. He was subsequently reelected to the Forty-eighth and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving continuously from December 5, 1881, to March 3, 1891. Over the course of his five terms in office, he contributed to the legislative process during a transformative decade in American political and economic life. During the Fifty-first Congress, he served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Accounts, overseeing matters related to the financial administration of the House. In 1890, he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection, bringing his decade of congressional service to a close on March 3, 1891.

After leaving Congress, Spooner resumed the practice of law in Providence, maintaining his professional activities while remaining a figure of influence in Rhode Island public affairs. Following a twelve-year hiatus from elective office, he returned to the Rhode Island House of Representatives in 1902, again taking part in state legislative work and continuing his long record of public service. He remained active in legal and civic circles in Providence into the early twentieth century.

Henry Joshua Spooner died in Providence, Rhode Island, on February 9, 1918. He was interred in Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, a resting place for many of the state’s notable figures. His career encompassed service as a Civil War officer, attorney, state legislator, Speaker of the Rhode Island House, commander of the Department of Rhode Island of the Grand Army of the Republic, and five-term member of the United States House of Representatives.