Samuel W. Bridgham

Biography

Samuel W. Bridgham was born in 1774 and became a leading figure in Providence, serving as the city’s first mayor and earlier as attorney general of Rhode Island. His legal mind and civic ideals helped shape the growing municipality during a time of change.

Bridgham’s commitment to good government was matched by his sincere care for neighbors, as he worked to build stronger institutions and to welcome Providence’s expanding population. He left a legacy of practical reform carried forward by those who followed him.