William P. Frye

"William Frye" redirects here. For other uses, see William Frye (disambiguation).
William Pierce Frye
60th 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
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
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
Died August 8, 1911(1911-08-08) (aged 80)
Lewiston, Maine
Nationality American
Political party Republican
Alma mater Bowdoin College
Profession Law, politics

William Pierce Frye (September 2, 1830  August 8, 1911) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Maine. Frye, a member of the Republican Party, spent most of his political career as a legislator, serving in the Maine House of Representatives and U.S. House of Representatives before being elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served for 30 years and died in office. Frye was a member of the Frye political family, and was the grandfather of Wallace H. White, Jr. and the son of John March Frye. He was also a prominent member of the Peucinian Society tradition.

Biography

Frye was born in Lewiston, Maine, in Androscoggin County. He attended public schools there and graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick in 1850. Frye studied law and was later admitted to the bar. He began practicing in Rockland, Maine in 1853 but later returned to Lewiston, and practiced law there. Frye played a role in founding Bates College in Lewiston and served as a longtime trustee of the College. Frye received a LL.D. from Bates in 1881.

Frye served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1861 to 1862 and again in 1867. He was later elected as the mayor of Lewiston, holding that position from 1866 to 1867, when he became the state attorney general. Frye left the attorney general post in 1869. He was elected as a Republican in 1870 to the U.S. House of Representatives. Frye served in the 42nd Congress and the five succeeding Congresses from March 4, 1871, to March 17, 1881, when he resigned after being elected Senator to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James G. Blaine. He served over 30 years in the Senate (March 18, 1881 – August 8, 1911), and was reelected in 1883, 1889, 1895, 1901, and 1907.

During his tenure in the Senate, Frye served as the 60th President pro tempore (54th62nd Congress, at the time of his resignation he served longer than any other man before or since, 15 years, 2 months, 21 days. However, his resignation a couple of months before his death spawning a debate over filling the position, where 5 men were rotated in for the remainder of the 62nd Congress.

Frye was also the chairman of the Rules Committee (47th49th Congress). Frye also was a member of the Commerce Committee (50th62nd Congress) and a member of the commission which met in Paris in September 1898 to adjust the Treaty of Paris between the United States and Spain, ending the Spanish–American War.

Frye died in Lewiston in 1911. He is interred in the Riverside Cemetery. The Sen. William P. Frye House near Bates College in Lewiston is on the National Historic Register.

References

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Legal offices
Preceded by
John A. Peters
Maine Attorney General
18671869
Succeeded by
Thomas Brackett Reed
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Samuel P. Morrill
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maine's 2nd congressional district

March 4, 1871 – March 17, 1881
Succeeded by
Nelson Dingley, Jr.
United States Senate
Preceded by
James G. Blaine
U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Maine
March 18, 1881 – August 8, 1911
Served alongside: Eugene Hale and Charles F. Johnson
Succeeded by
Obadiah Gardner
Political offices
Preceded by
Isham G. Harris
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
February 7, 1896 – April 27, 1911
Succeeded by
Rotating pro tems
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Eugene Hale
Dean of the United States Senate
March 4, 1911 – August 8, 1911
Succeeded by
Shelby Moore Cullom
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