A moderate member of the Republican Party, Lincoln Almond was active in Rhode Island politics for decades, including serving in the state's highest elected office. His gubernatorial tenure would coincide with several alterations to Rhode Island's Constitution taking effect.
As governor, Almond would set out to achieve several goals. Among them are reforms in child care and education. Almond would, at least to a certain extent, stay active in public after leaving office.
Died on January 2, 2022
The Providence Journal reports that Lincoln Almond has passed away.
According to ABC, the cause of death was not immediately released to the public.
Perhaps fittingly, Almond's political career began as Lincoln, Rhode Island town administrator near Providence. He was initially appointed to the office before being elected in his own right three times.
In 1968, Almond ran for the United States House of Representatives from the 1st District of Rhode Island. He would lose handily to Democratic incumbent Fernand St Germain. St Germain later became chairman of the House Committee on Banking Finance and Urban Affairs.
Shortly after his Congressional race defeat, Almond was appointed as the United States attorney for Rhode Island. His career as a U.S. attorney spread non-consecutively over more than 20 years and four different Presidential administrations.
He proceeded before first taking office by former Lieutenant Governor Edward P. Gallogly. Sheldon Whitehouse would succeed Almond when he left the job for the last time. Whitehouse would become the state's attorney general and is currently a member of the United States Senate. He is currently the chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.
Served as governor under new state laws
In between tours of duty as U.S. attorney, Lincoln Almond first ran for governor of Rhode Island in the 1978 cycle. He lost to incumbent Governor J. Joseph Garrahy in the Republican primary. Another attempt at it in 1994 would go differently for Almond.
He would prevail that year in a three-way race.
His closest challenger was State Senator Myrth York. York had defeated incumbent Governor Bruce Sundlun in a landslide in the Democratic primary. Under the new state Constitution, Almond was the first governor of Rhode Island to serve a four-year term.
Almond would be re-election in 1998, again in a three-way race. He was also the first of the state's governors to be term-limited from running for office again – another new Constitutional feature.
Republican businessman Donald Carcieri was elected to follow Almond as governor. In 2005, Carcieri called Almond back to public life. The then-governor appointed his forerunner to investigate a worker's compensation insurance company. The resulting report from Almond's investigation led to the dismissal of multiple company executives.
A native Rhode Islander
Lincoln Almond was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He would later graduate from high school in nearby Central Falls. Almond followed that up with degrees from the University of Rhode Island and the Boston University School of Law.
In 1958, he married Marilyn A. Johnson. They had met during Lincoln's sophomore year at the University of Rhode Island and would have two children. Lincoln Douglas Almond, their son, would become a federal judge.
