Robert E. Quinn
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Robert Emmet Quinn (April 2, 1894 - May 19, 1975) was an American politician and the 58th Governor of Rhode Island.
Quinn was born on April 2, 1894 in Phoenix, Rhode Island. He graduated from Brown University in 1915. He then completed his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1918.
He became the Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island from 1932 to 1937. He was nominated for governorship of Rhode Island when incumbent Governor Francis Green chose to run for a seat in the United States Senate. He held the governor's office from January 5, 1937 to January 3, 1939. During his administration, Quinn advocated a merit system for state workers, a personal income tax, and exemption for the poor from real estate taxes.
Nicknamed “Battlin’ Bob”, Quinn set up a battle known as the “Race Track War” against the highly successful Thoroughbred racing venue Narragansett Park. This would ensue in the fall of 1937. From the first incident on September 2nd, the “War” would not be resolved until October 16th. The National Guard was called out and men with machine guns blocked the front entrance to the track. Time Magazine reported the story nation wide.[1] Quinn won in the short-term, as Walter O’Hara was removed from his post as president and manager of the Narragansett Racing Association, and Judge James E. Dooley officially took control of the track.
Quinn was unsuccessful in his re-election bid in 1938 as millionaire William H. Vanderbilt defeated him. Ultimately, the “Race Track War” was considered a national embarrassment.[2].
He returned to his law practice and won appointment to a Superior Court judgeship in 1941. During World War II, he entered the military as a Commander in the Navy’s legal branch. He served for four years, rising to the rank of Captain. He returned to the bench after the end of the war. In 1951, he was named Chief Judge of a new United States Court of Military Appeals, a position from which he retired in 1975. He died on May 19, 1975.
[edit] References
- ^ Time Magazine 10/37.
- ^ An Album of Rhode Island History by Patrick T. Conley
[edit] Sources
- Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978. Greenwood Press, 1988. ISBN 0-313-28093-2
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Theodore F. Green |
Governor of Rhode Island 1937–1939 |
Succeeded by William Henry Vanderbilt III |
- 1894 births
- 1975 deaths
- American people of Irish descent
- People from Kent County, Rhode Island
- Brown University alumni
- Harvard Law School alumni
- Rhode Island Democrats
- Governors of Rhode Island
- Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
- United States Navy officers
- American military personnel of World War II
- Lieutenant Governors of Rhode Island
- United States federal judges appointed by Harry S. Truman
