William P. Frye facts for kids

Quick facts for kids William Pierce Frye
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
In office February 7, 1896 – April 27, 1911
Preceded by	Isham G. Harris
Succeeded by	Rotating pro terms
United States Senator from Maine
In office March 18, 1881 – August 8, 1911
Preceded by	James G. Blaine
Succeeded by	Obadiah Gardner
Chairman of the House Republican Conference
In office March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881
Speaker	Samuel J. Randall
Preceded by	Eugene Hale
Succeeded by	George M. Robeson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd district
In office March 4, 1871 – March 17, 1881
Preceded by	Samuel P. Morrill
Succeeded by	Nelson Dingley, Jr.
Maine Attorney General
In office 1867–1871
Governor	Joshua Chamberlain
Preceded by	John A. Peters
Succeeded by	Thomas Brackett Reed
Member of the Maine House of Representatives
In office 1861–1862, 1867
Personal details
Born	September 2, 1830 Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
Died	August 8, 1911(1911-08-08) (aged 80) Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
Resting place	Riverside Cemetery
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Relations	Wallace H. White Jr. (grandson)
Alma mater	Bowdoin College Bates College (LL.D.)
Occupation	Lawyer politician
Signature

William Pierce Frye (born September 2, 1830 – died August 8, 1911) was an important American politician from Maine. He was a member of the Republican Party. Frye spent most of his career working as a lawmaker. He served in the Maine House of Representatives, then the U.S. House of Representatives, and finally the U.S. Senate. He was a U.S. Senator for 30 years until he passed away while still in office.

Frye was known as a leader among Republicans who believed in traditional ideas. He worked on important committees like Rules, Foreign Relations, Appropriations, and Commerce. He strongly supported the shipping industry and wanted to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans with a canal. He also favored adding new territories to the U.S., like Hawaii and the Philippine Islands in 1898. President William McKinley chose him to be part of the group that made the peace treaty to end the Spanish–American War.

Early Life and Education

Mrs. William P. Frye

William Frye was born in Lewiston, Maine, which is in Androscoggin County, Maine. He went to public schools there. In 1850, he graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. After college, Frye studied law and became a lawyer.

He started his law practice in Rockland, Maine in 1853. Later, he moved back to Lewiston to continue his law work. In February 1853, he married Caroline Spear (1832 - 1900) while living in Rockland. Frye also helped start Bates College in Lewiston and was a trustee there for many years. Bates College gave him an honorary law degree in 1881.

Political Career Highlights

William Frye began his political journey in Maine. He served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1861 to 1862, and again in 1867. He was also the mayor of Lewiston from 1866 to 1867. After that, he became the state's attorney general until 1869.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives

In 1870, Frye was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served there from March 4, 1871, until March 17, 1881. He then resigned from the House because he was elected to the Senate.

Becoming a U.S. Senator

Frye became a U.S. Senator on March 18, 1881. He served for over 30 years until his death on August 8, 1911. He was reelected many times during his time in the Senate.

Leadership in the Senate

During his time in the Senate, Frye held a very important position called President pro tempore. This role is like being a substitute leader of the Senate when the Vice President is not there. He held this job for over 15 years, which was longer than anyone else at that time. He resigned from this role a few months before he passed away due to poor health.

Frye also led the Rules Committee and was a member of the Commerce Committee in the Senate. He was part of the group that met in Paris in 1898 to create the Treaty of Paris. This treaty officially ended the Spanish–American War between the United States and Spain.

Later Life and Legacy

Senator Frye was a founding member of the District of Columbia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution in 1890. This group is for descendants of people who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

William Frye passed away in Lewiston in 1911. He is buried in the Riverside Cemetery. A house near Bates College in Lewiston, called the Sen. William P. Frye House, is now listed on the National Historic Register because of its historical importance. A ship, the William P. Frye (1901), was also named after him.

See also

• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)
• William P. Frye (1901) a ship named after him