Thomas A. Doyle (mayor)

Thomas Arthur Doyle (March 15, 1827 – June 9, 1886) was mayor of Providence for three intervals (each made up of one-year terms): 1864–1869; 1870–1881; and from 1884 until his death in office in 1886. His eighteen years in office was the longest until Mayor "Buddy" Cianci,[1] over 100 years later.

This article is about the Mayor of Providence. For the Chicago Congressman, see Thomas A. Doyle.

Thomas Arthur Doyle
Official portrait of Thomas A. Doyle in Providence City Hall
9th, 11th, & 13th Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island
In office June 1864 – June 1869
Preceded by	Jabez C. Knight
Succeeded by	George L. Clarke
In office June 1870 – June 1881
Preceded by	George L. Clarke
Succeeded by	William S. Hayward
In office January 1884 – June 9, 1886
Preceded by	William S. Hayward
Succeeded by	Gilbert F. Robbins
Personal details
Born	(1827-03-15)March 15, 1827 Providence, Rhode Island
Died	June 9, 1886(1886-06-09) (aged 59) Providence, Rhode Island
Resting place	Swan Point Cemetery
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Almyra Sprague
Relations	Sarah Elizabeth Doyle (sister)
Residence	137 Chestnut Street, Providence, Rhode Island
Known for	Longest-serving Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island at that time
Signature

Early life

Thomas Arthur Doyle was born March 15, 1827 in Providence, Rhode Island to Thomas Doyle and Martha Jones.[2] The family was of Irish Protestant heritage.[3] He was one of seven children, among them his sister, educator and reformer Sarah Doyle.[2] Their father died when Thomas was young.[2]

He attended Elm Street Grammar School, a public school. At age 14 he joined the counting-room of Benjamin Cozzens Esq., a lawyer, manufacturer, and calico printer.[2] Doyle clerked there and at a few other jobs, including cashier, stockbroker, and real estate auctioneer.[2]

Political career

Doyle began his political career in 1848, aged 21, when he was elected ward clerk for the Sixth Ward.[2] In 1852 he was elected to the common council from the Fifth Ward.[2] Doyle also served on the school committee, at one time being the youngest member of the committee.[2]

Tenure as mayor

Engraving

Doyle is considered by some historians[3][4] and even was regarded in his lifetime[2] to have been one of Providence's greatest mayors. During his tenure Providence grew from "a large manufacturing village" to a "little metropolis".[2] Doyle was instrumental in leading Providence to become a modern city.[5][6]

Doyle was known for his individuality. He had a reputation for being straightforward and opinionated.[2] At one time or another he alienated everyone from Democrats to Republicans to taxpayers to the press to city departments, often advocating unpopular policies.[2] His relationship with the city council was often stormy; they were said to be in "hearty disagreement on almost everything" and he often exercised the veto power.[2] He spent a lot of money, increased debt, and raised taxes. Yet he earned respect for being honest and running an administration free from corruption.[2]

Some specific achievements of his terms of office included:

• Construction of Providence City Hall was completed in 1878[5]
• Introduction of a uniformed police force, which became a model for other cities[2]
• Introduction of a fire alarm signal system in December 1870[5]
• Construction of a municipal water system[2] which drew water from the Pawtuxet River was introduced in December 1870[5]
• A comprehensive sewer system, which emptied into the river and harbor, was begun in 1872[5]
• The school system was improved and expanded, and many schoolhouses built, including the high school in 1878[5]
• Acquisition of Roger Williams Park through donation (1871)[2]
• The city population grew from 54,000 to 120,000[5]
• The city took on large amounts of debt[2]
• Doyle began a complete makeover of railroad approaches to Providence, including eliminating grade crossings and constructing a much larger Union Station. These efforts were not completed until after Doyle's death.[6]

Personal life

In 1869, he married Almyra Sprague, sister of Senator William Sprague. They had no children.[2] His house at 137 Chestnut Street, Providence, stands today.[7]

Doyle was a member of the Unitarian church.[2] He was also an enthusiastic Mason. He was made a Master Mason in 1857, and was elected to various statewide Mason offices including Knights Templar.[2]

Death, memorial, and burial

Providence City Hall was decorated for Doyle's public wake

This bronze Statue of Thomas A. Doyle, originally installed at Cathedral Square, was moved to the corner of Chestnut and Broad Street in 1967.[8]

Doyle suffered a stroke on the evening of June 6, 1886, while still in office. The "entire right side of his body" was reportedly paralyzed.[9] He died at his house on Wednesday June 9, 1886.[10][11]

On Saturday the 12th, his body was escorted by the First Light Infantry from his home to City Hall, where he lie in state. Thousands of people came to the City Hall to silently pay their respects.[10] Doyle is believed to be the last mayor to be honored with a wake at City Hall until Buddy Cianci, 130 years later.[12]

Gilbert F. Robbins was named acting mayor, and he issued a proclamation that on the following Monday June 14, all business in the city should be closed from noon to 3:00 PM.[10] On that day a large procession carried his body from City Hall to the First Unitarian Church for services, then on to Swan Point Cemetery for burial.[10]

Recognition

• A statue of Doyle by Henry Hudson Kitson[5] was erected in 1889 in Cathedral Square, near the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul.[13] It was moved in 1967 to the intersection of Broad and Chestnut Street.[8]
• Doyle Avenue, on Providence's East Side, was named for him.[13]
• Doyle was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2004.[3]

References

1. "Doyle, Thomas Arthur (1827-1886)". Brown University. Retrieved 11 June 2014. second only to Mayor "Buddy" Cianci in tenure
2. The Biographical Cyclopedia of Representative Men of Rhode Island Vol 2. Providence: Providence National Biographical Publishing Co. 1881. pp. 512–513.
3. "Inductee Details: Mayor Thomas A. Doyle". Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
4. Paul Campbell (13 September 2013). "Mayoral portraits on display at Providence City Hall". YouTube. The Providence Journal. Retrieved 3 June 2015. If you were to proclaim the greatest mayor of the 19th Century, hands down it would be Doyle
5. Grieve, Robert (February 1896). "Modern Providence". The New England Magazine. New England Magazine Company. 13 (6): 774–778. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
6. Cutter, William Richard (1915). New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial. IV. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 2174.
7. "An Overview of the History of the Jewelry District". JewelryDistrict.org. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
8. Bodo, Sandor (10 November 2013). "RearView Mirror: Moving monuments". Providence Journal. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
9. "Mayor Doyle Paralyzed". The New York Times. 7 June 1886. p. 1. Retrieved 23 March 2020. PROVIDENCE, R.I., June 6.—The condition of Mayor Thomas A. Doyle, of this city, who was seized with a shock of paralysis at 5:30 o'clock last evening, does not augur well for his recovery.
10. Memorial of Thomas Arthur Doyle, Mayor of the City of Providence. Providence, Rhode Island: Providence City Council. 1887. pp. 5–13. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
11. "The Mayor of Providence Dead". The New York Times. 10 June 1886. p. 5. Retrieved 23 March 2020. PROVIDENCE, R.I., June 9.—Mayor Thomas A. Doyle died this evening from the effects of a paralytic shock received last Saturday.
12. Pina, Alisha (30 January 2016). "Cianci to lie in state for 2 days at Providence City Hall". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 30 January 2016. "I am almost certain Mayor Thomas A. Doyle was the last mayor to have a wake at City Hall," said Caleb Horton in the city's archive department Friday.
13. Workers of the Writers' Program of the Works Progress Administration in the State of Rhode Island (1937). Rhode Island, A Guide to the Smallest State. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. pp. 290–291. Retrieved 11 June 2014.

External links

• Memorial of Thomas Arthur Doyle: Mayor of the City of Providence
• Thomas A. Doyle at Find a Grave
• Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame

Political offices
Preceded by Jabez C. Knight	Mayor of Providence 1864–1869	Succeeded by George L. Clarke
Preceded by George L. Clarke	Mayor of Providence 1870–1881	Succeeded by William S. Hayward
Preceded by William S. Hayward	Mayor of Providence 1884–1886	Succeeded by Gilbert F. Robbins