Lemuel Hastings Arnold

Lemuel Hastings Arnold (January 29, 1792 – June 27, 1852) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A member of the Whig Party, he served as the 12th governor of the State of Rhode Island and later as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, participating in the legislative process during one term in Congress and representing the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American history.

Arnold was born on January 29, 1792, in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, the son of Jonathan Arnold and Cynthia (Hastings) Arnold. His father, Jonathan Arnold, had served as a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation, linking the family to the political life of the early United States. Soon after Lemuel’s birth, his father died, and his mother relocated the family to Rhode Island. Growing up in Rhode Island, Arnold attended local schools, receiving the foundational education that would prepare him for advanced study and a professional career.

Arnold pursued higher education at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, from which he graduated in 1811. After completing his undergraduate studies, he read law and prepared for admission to the bar. In 1814 he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Providence, Rhode Island. He practiced law there for approximately seven years, establishing himself professionally before turning part of his attention to manufacturing, reflecting the broader economic diversification underway in New England during the early nineteenth century.

Arnold entered public life as a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, serving in the state legislature from 1826 to 1831. His legislative experience at the state level helped to build his reputation as a Whig leader in Rhode Island. In 1831 he was elected governor of Rhode Island, becoming the state’s 12th governor. He served as governor from 1831 to 1833, a period marked by ongoing debates over economic policy and political reform in both the state and the nation. After his gubernatorial service, Arnold remained an influential figure in Rhode Island politics and later served on the Rhode Island Executive Council during the Dorr Rebellion from 1842 to 1843, a turbulent episode centered on questions of suffrage and constitutional change within the state.

Following his role on the Executive Council, Arnold sought to extend his political career to the national level. He made an unsuccessful attempt to win a seat in the United States Senate in 1845. Later that year, however, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Whig from Rhode Island. In Congress, he served one term from 1845 to 1847, taking part in the national legislative process at a time when the United States was grappling with issues such as territorial expansion, the Mexican–American War, and the evolving sectional tensions that would eventually lead to the Civil War. As a member of the Whig Party representing Rhode Island, Arnold contributed to the work of the House during this critical period, participating in the democratic process and advocating for the interests of his state.

After the conclusion of his congressional service in 1847, Arnold withdrew from national politics and resumed the practice of law. He settled in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, where he continued his legal career until his death. Arnold died on June 27, 1852, in South Kingstown. He was interred in Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island, a burial place for many of the state’s prominent political and civic leaders.

In his personal life, Arnold married Sally Lyman, with whom he had nine children. The family became closely connected to the Union military leadership during the Civil War through their children. Their son, Richard Arnold, served as a brigadier general in the Union Army, while their daughter, Sally Lyman Arnold, married Union Brigadier General Isaac P. Rodman, who was mortally wounded at the Battle of Antietam in 1862. After the death of his first wife, Arnold married Catherine Shannard. Through his extended family, Arnold was also connected to later generations of Rhode Island public figures; he was the great-great-uncle of U.S. Senator Theodore F. Green, further underscoring the enduring political legacy of the Arnold family in Rhode Island.