Oliver Ames

Oliver Ames
35th Governor of Massachusetts
In office January 8, 1887 – January 4, 1890
Lieutenant	John Q. A. Brackett
Preceded by	George D. Robinson
Succeeded by	John Q. A. Brackett
33rd Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
In office January 4, 1883 – January 8, 1887
Governor	Benjamin F. Butler George D. Robinson
Preceded by	Byron Weston
Succeeded by	John Q. A. Brackett
Massachusetts Senate
In office 1881–1882
Town of Easton School Committee
Personal details
Born	(1831-02-04)February 4, 1831 Easton, Massachusetts
Died	Easton, Massachusetts
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Anna Coffin Ray
Profession	Financier
Signature	Oliver Ames's signature

Oliver Ames (February 4, 1831 – October 22, 1895) was a U.S. political figure and financier. He was the 35th Governor of Massachusetts (1887–1890). He was the son of Oakes Ames (1804–1873), a railroad baron and United States Congressman who was censured in the Credit Mobilier scandal, and the nephew of Oliver Ames, Jr..

Life and career

Ames was born in North Easton, Massachusetts on February 4, 1831, to Oakes Ames and Eveline Orville (Gilmore) Ames. His father was the owner of a shovel factory, which became the largest such business in the country. Ames was educated in the local schools, and then attended private academies in North Attleborough and Leicester. He was briefly employed in the family's factory before enrolling in Brown University.

Ames then entered the family business, where he learned all aspects of its manufacturing processes and worked as a traveling salesman. When his grandfather died in 1863 he became a partner in the business. During these years his grandfather, uncle, and father greatly expanded the business, investing in railroads and other industrial concerns. For ten years, Ames superintended the mechanical business of the establishment, and on his father's death assumed control of his numerous financial trusts, including shares in the Union Pacific Railroad.

As his father's heir, Ames spent several years in paying off the obligations of millions of dollars incurred by the Union Pacific Railroad and other undertakings. He entered public life avowedly to vindicate his father's memory: he was lieutenant-governor of Massachusetts 1882-86, in 1883 obtained the vindicatory resolution he sought, and from 1886 to 1888 was governor.

Together with his brother Oakes Angier Ames, Oliver created many important buildings and landscapes in North Easton with architect H. H. Richardson and landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted.

Family

His son Oakes Ames (1874–1950) was a well-known American botanist and orchid expert.

Honors

Ames was elected an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity in 1917, by the fraternity's Alpha Chapter at the New England Conservatory in Boston. He is the only known honorary member known to be elected after his death.

The Easton, Massachusetts public high school is named Oliver Ames High School (OAHS).

He is the namesake of the small community of Oliver, Nebraska.

See also

• Ames Shovel Shop
• Schooner Governor Ames
• Ames Free Library

Bibliography

• Clarke, James W.: The Bay State Monthly A Massachusetts Magazine of Literature, History, Biography and State Progress Vol. II, Boston, Massachusetts: John N. McClintock and Company, (1885) p. 187.
• "Ames, Oliver". American Biography: A New Cyclopedia, Volume 2

External links

• Official Commonwealth of Massachusetts Governor Biography

Political offices
Preceded by Byron Weston	Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts 1883–1887	Succeeded by John Q. A. Brackett
Preceded by George D. Robinson	Governor of Massachusetts 1887–1890	Succeeded by John Q. A. Brackett