Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich

Republican Senator of Rhode Island

Congresses Served

House Terms

Senate Terms

January 1, 1841 (74 years old)

Birthday

January 1, 1915

Death

Prominent American politician and leader of the Republican Party in the U.S. Senate.
Served as a U.S. Senator for 30 years, from 1881 to 1911, and was the longest-serving senator from Rhode Island until 20th-century successors.
Key figure in the Senate during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known as one of the “Big Four” Republicans who controlled major Senate decisions.
Played a significant role in shaping national tariff and monetary policy, earning the nickname “general manager of the Nation.”
Instrumental in the creation of the Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act and the Aldrich–Vreeland Act, which established the National Monetary Commission.
His work influenced the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, establishing the Federal Reserve System.
Supported the Sixteenth Amendment, allowing for a federal income tax.
Served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Held various political positions, including member and Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives and a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
His family included influential figures in American politics and finance, including his daughter who married John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his grandson who became Vice President of the United States.
Active in the Freemasons and developed a notable country estate in Rhode Island.
Died in 1915 and is buried in Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island.