Theodore Foster was born on April 29, 1752, and died on January 13, 1828. He was an American lawyer and politician from Rhode Island. He was a member of the Federalist Party and later joined the National Republican Party. He was one of the first two U.S. senators from Rhode Island. After John Langdon, he served as dean of the Senate.

Early life

Foster was born in Brookfield, Massachusetts in 1752. He studied subjects like literature and history at a college in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (now called Brown University), and he graduated in 1770. Afterward, he studied law and lived with another student named Solomon Drowne. In 1771, he joined a group of lawyers and stayed in Rhode Island to work as a lawyer, starting his practice in Providence. He served as the town clerk of Providence from 1775 to 1787. In 1786, he earned a master's degree from Dartmouth College.

Foster was a student who was closely guided by Stephen Hopkins, who was the first chancellor of Brown University, the Chief Justice of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and a patriot during the American Revolution. Foster married the sister of Arthur Fenner, who later became the governor of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

American Revolution

Foster took part in the Gaspee Affair of 1772, along with John Brown and others, which helped lead to the American Revolutionary War. Foster was known for his strong support of General George Washington and the Federalist cause.

Later life

Before 1790, Foster worked in different government jobs in Rhode Island. In 1790, he was chosen to serve in the United States Senate, starting on June 12. The legislature of Rhode Island re-elected him in 1791 and 1797. He continued serving until March 3, 1803, when he left public life to focus on writing and historical research. In 1820, he was elected as a member of the American Antiquarian Society. Foster became very interested in collecting many documents from colonial Providence. He helped start the Rhode Island Historical Society in 1822. Foster's family sold his large collection of historical papers to the Society in 1833. Many of these papers have never been published.

Later, Foster served as a trustee of Brown University. Foster returned to public life and served in the Rhode Island legislature from 1812 to 1816. He lived in the town of Foster, Rhode Island, which was named in his honor. When Solomon Drowne returned to Rhode Island, he lived on a farm called Mt. Hygeia, which was near Foster's home.

Foster died on January 13, 1828, and is buried in Swan Point Cemetery in Providence.

Family life

Foster's father was Jedediah Foster, a Justice in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Jedediah graduated from Harvard University in 1744. Foster was the older brother of Senator Dwight Foster of Massachusetts. He was also the great-uncle of Dwight Foster, who became both the Attorney General of Massachusetts and a Justice in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.